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A comparison of the 2020 and 2022 defense white papers, showing the differences in language used to describe the “enemy” of South Korea. The 2020 paper refers to “forces that threaten and infringe upon our sovereignty, territory, people and assets” as enemies, while the 2022 paper calls the “North Korean regime and military” the enemies of South Korea. (courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense)

In the first defense white paper released under South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, language about the North Korean regime and military being South Korea’s “enemy” are back after an absence of six years. That change reflects how the Yoon administration’s policy on North Korea and inter-Korean relations differs from that of former President Moon Jae-in.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday the publication of the “2022 Defense White Paper,” which was written to provide a clear understanding of the reality and gravity of the North Korean threat.

“North Korea specified in its 2021 revision of the rules of the Workers’ Party of Korea that the Korean Peninsula in its entirety should be brought under Communist rule, declared that we are ‘manifest enemies’ in the plenary session of the Party’s Central Committee in December 2022, refuses to shut down its nuclear program and poses a continuing military threat. For those reasons, the North Korean regime and military, which are responsible for those actions, are our enemies,” the white paper said.

The Defense Ministry explained that it had reverted to the language about the North Korean regime and military being South Korea’s enemies “in consideration of all the factors, including North Korea’s strategy toward the South, examples of declaring us to be the enemy, the continuing advancement of its nuclear arsenal, and its military threats and provocations.”

After North Korea test-launched a ballistic missile during Yoon’s presidential campaign, he wrote on Facebook that “our main enemy is North Korea.” In May 2022, Yoon’s presidential transition committee said that the 110th goal of his administration would be “reviewing ways to write the defense white paper such that it can be clearly understand that the North Korean regime and military are our enemy.”

The expression about North Korea being the “main enemy” first appeared in a defense white paper in 1995, after a North Korean envoy referred to turning Seoul into a “sea of fire” during inter-Korean working-level talks in 1994, and that expression was maintained through 2000. Rather than being a military or security term, the expression was coined by politicians anxious to placate an irate public.

During the subsequent presidencies of Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, “main enemy” was replaced with expressions such as “direct military threat” and “enemy,” depending on the status of North Korean policy and inter-Korean relations.

The expression “the North Korean regime and military are our enemy” was maintained from 2010 — when the Cheonan corvette was sunk and Yeonpyeong Island was bombed during the Lee administration — through the Park administration.

The Moon administration altered this language for defense white papers in 2018 and 2020 by stating that “forces that threaten and infringe upon our sovereignty, territory, people and assets are regarded as our enemies,” without specifying North Korea.

The Yoon administration has reinstated the language about the North Korean regime and army being the enemy without using the phrase “main enemy.”

Conservatives in South Korea have maintained that one of two phrases — “North Korea is the main enemy” or “the North Korean regime and military are our enemy” — needs to be included in the defense white paper to clarify South Korea’s adversarial posture and strengthen the national defense. When the Moon administration removed that language, these conservatives accused Moon of adopting “a feeble and groveling policy toward North Korea.”

One counterargument is that few countries other than South and North Korea use expressions about an “enemy” or “main enemy” in official documents such as a defense white paper. Another is that such language may actually damage the national interest by restricting South Korea’s strategic options in foreign relations.

Types of missiles in North Korea’s possession as shown in the 2022 Defense White Paper of South Korea. Height is displayed in meters, with missiles ordered by range, with close-range missiles on the left leading through ICBMs on the right. (courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense)

In addition, the white paper referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by his name alone, removing a reference to his official title as head of the State Affairs Commission. The Defense Ministry said this change was made in consideration of North Korea’s behavior toward the South and the language it uses to refer to the South Korean president.

The defense white paper only includes examples of North Korea’s “major violations” of the Comprehensive Military Agreement signed in September 2018, while dropping the text of that agreement, which had appeared in the general appendix of the white paper from two years ago.

This year’s defense white paper officially estimates that North Korea is in possession of more than 70 kilograms of plutonium — enough to produce as many as 18 nuclear devices.

While white papers in 2016, 2018 and 2020 estimated that North Korea had more than 50 kilograms of plutonium, South Korea updated its estimate for this year’s white paper based on allegations of plutonium reprocessing that were raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2021.

The white paper also altered a phrase about “the Yongbyon nuclear facility” to “Yongbyon and other nuclear facilities,” reflecting the government’s belief that North Korea has other nuclear facilities in addition to Yongbyon.

The defense white paper asserted that North Korea is developing a range of solid-fuel ballistic missiles that have greater accuracy and are more capable of evading interception.

“All of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test launches have been carried out at a high angle, demonstrating a range that can threaten the American homeland,” the paper reads. “But because those missiles have not been tested at a normal angle, it remains to be confirmed whether North Korea has acquired key technology including atmospheric reentry of the payload.”

North Korea has also test-launched submarine-launched ballistic missiles, but submarines capable of carrying those missiles are still in development, the white paper said.

As for Japan, the defense white paper said that “South Korea and Japan share values” and that “Japan is a close neighbor with whom we should build a future-oriented relationship that accords with our shared interests.”

Language about South Korea and Japan “sharing values” returned after a hiatus of six years, and the expressions “future-oriented relationship” and “close” were also absent in the 2020 white paper. Such additions are thought to reflect the Yoon administration’s resolve to improve the two countries’ relationship.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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