hankyoreh

North Gyeongsang Province

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

The South Korean military’s decision to respond to the 100 North Korean shells that landed south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) on Mar. 31 by firing 300 rounds - triple the amount - was in accordance with the “rapid, accurate, and adequate” approach that was adopted after the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, a government official said.

“We are operating on the principle of adequately punishing North Korea in the spirit of self-defense when it commits a provocation,” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok during a press briefing on Apr. 1. “Since 100 North Korean shells crossed the Northern Limit Line, we judged that 300 shells would be an adequate response.”

“Adequacy is difficult to define in numerical terms, and it is something for the commander on the ground to decide. When South Korean troops or citizens are hurt, we will respond adequately, which would involve eliminating any desire on the part of North Korea to commit another provocation,” Kim said.

After the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in Nov. 2010, the South Korean military announced that it would respond firmly accordingly to the concept of “rapid, accurate, and adequate.” This is effectively a revision to the skirmish rules of the UN Command, which dictate that retaliations should follow the principle of proportionality: the same in kind and amount. The South Korean navy’s response to North Korea’s shelling in the West (Yellow) Sea on Mar. 31 was the first example of this new rule being applied on the ground, sources said.

“Admiral Choi Yoon-Hee, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has given instructions for commanders on the ground to use their discretion to retaliate firmly to North Korean provocations, according to the principle of rapid, accurate, and adequate,” one official with the South Korean military said on condition of anonymity. “The response of the South Korean military on Mar. 31 was in line with this.”

“Retaliatory shots were fired immediately after North Korean shells landed south of the NLL according to the principle of rapidity, and we fired three times the number of shells in keeping with the principle of adequacy,” another military official said.

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