America becoming very uncomfortable? “I think North Korea is at war with the United States.” [Y녹취록]

■ Host: Anchor Kim Dae-geun, Anchor Uhm Ji-min
■ Appearance: Wang Seon-taek, Director of the Global Diplomacy Center at the Korea Pyongyang Policy Institute

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate content. quote poem [YTN 뉴스와이드] Please specify.

◇Anchor> But from North Korea’s perspective, is it better for them not to have the 9.19 military agreement?

◆Wang Selection> It’s much better. From my perspective, North Korea will act like this: “Thank you for getting slapped in the face when you want to cry.” North Korea has long since lost in the system competition between North and South Korea, so it is a country that has to make aggressive military provocations to increase its presence and achieve cooperation between South and North Korea and international cooperation. So, North Korea is a country that must engage in military provocations, and we must lower military tensions by suppressing such military provocations. Since we are an economic powerhouse, peace management as an economic powerhouse is beneficial to our economy. So, it is advantageous for us to eliminate the Korea discount. However, if such restrictions can be imposed through a military agreement, it would be better for North Korea not to reach an agreement. In that respect, the military agreement itself is unconditionally unfavorable to North Korea. Another thing, many people don’t know this, is that North Korea does not consider South Korea an equal country. It is very unpleasant from our perspective, but if you look at North Korea’s logic and the logic of the past 70 years, North Korea is a country at war with the United States. They believe that it is a country at war with the United States, that South Korea is a country that has been made into a stronghold by the United States, and that the South Korean government is a kind of slave under the control of the United States. So, over the past 70 years, North Korea has never viewed South Korea as an equal when it comes to military issues. However, the 9.19 military agreement was signed on equal footing with the South. This is an acceptance of something that cannot be accepted according to North Korea’s existing logic. Why is that? Because at that time, in September 2018, President Moon Jae-in proposed inter-Korean cooperation, and Chairman Kim Jong-un expected to receive many concessions by strengthening cooperation and solidarity with then-President Moon Jae-in. So, North Korea made an unfavorable negotiation at the time, and the situation worsened after that. I want to destroy it. Even if there is military provocation, it is a third country. They just want to create a situation where countries like China, Russia, and Europe ask why you are provoking them after making promises to them. In that sense, North Korea should be seen as a slap in the face even though it wanted to cry.

◇Anchor> You said that you think North Korea is at war with the United States. How is the United States responding?

◆Wang Selection> From the U.S. perspective, it has become a very uncomfortable situation. From the perspective of America’s national interests, it is good that there is no war on the Korean Peninsula. It must be managed peacefully. Right now, the United States has to take care of the war between Ukraine and Russia and is preoccupied with Israel and Hamas. There is tension between China and Taiwan, so military operations are being carried out. In this situation, it would be difficult if war broke out on the Korean Peninsula, so it would be good to avoid trouble on the Korean Peninsula if possible. In that case, the 9.19 military agreement becomes a helpful factor in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but since the decision was made by the Korean government and the Yoon Seok-yeol government in the context of the ROK-US alliance, the United States cannot criticize that aspect, but there is no comment saying that it welcomes it. Originally, in the ROK-U.S. alliance, a welcome comment must be made to indicate official support from the U.S., but when a Korean reporter asked a U.S. State Department employee, the employee responded in the name of the State Department. This is what the Korean government said about restraint. That is not to say that I support it, but rather that it was evaluated as restrained because it chose the means of suspending effect rather than total destruction through the form of suspension. In the larger sense, there is a nuance in the parentheses that says it is regrettable.

◇Anchor> I understand. I will listen to today’s story as well. We sat down with Wang Seon-taek, head of the Global Diplomacy Center at the Hankyung Policy Research Institute. Thank you for your words.

Excerpt from the conversation: Lee Mi-young, Digital News Team Editor

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