hankyoreh

North Korean soldiers at work at a DMZ guard post in Kaepung County, North Hwanghae Province, on June 18. (Yonhap News)

Four military plans announced by North Kore, including the stationing of a regiment-level unit in the Mt. Kumgang tourism zone, appear likely to become a reality soon, the South Korean government predicts.

According to an investigation by the Hankyoreh on June 18, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo reported at a Democratic Party foreign affairs, national security, and unification advisory council meeting at the National Assembly that day that “North Korea currently appears poised to pursue four previously threatened provocation measures,” adding that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) would be “undertaking a thorough response.”

The day before, the Korean People’s Army General Staff announced plans to deploy “units of the regiment level and necessary firepower sub-units” to the Mt. Kumgang tourism zone and Kaesong Industrial Complex, re-establish civil police posts in the DMZ, upgrade the front guard duty level to “1” throughout the front line, and ensure the launches of North Korea’s own propaganda leaflets into South Korea. Multiple attendees quoted Jeong as saying that “some movements have been seen at civil police posts.” The civil police posts are North Korean equivalents of the South’s guard posts established within the DMZ. South Korea is currently operating around 50 guard posts in the DMZ, while the North has around 150.

Both Jeong and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha attended the advisory council meeting that day. From the Ministry of Unification (MOU), Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho attended in place of Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who had announced his intent to resign the day before. Suh was quoted as saying that the current situation “is not something accidental [in response to the scattering of leaflets in North Korea], but a series of carefully prepared measures.”

Some lawmakers were reported as having raised issues with a South Korea-US working group. Responding to a question from a lawmaker who said that South Korea “appears to be following along with the US too much,” Kang was quoted as saying, “We are aware of those criticisms, but they are not true.”

“We are in close discussions and negotiations with the US,” she reportedly replied.

By Seo Young-ji and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters, and Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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