It is ‘Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.
Host) What news do you have today?
Reporter) US President Joe Biden has opened the possibility of dialogue with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the shooting down of the Chinese reconnaissance balloon. One year ahead of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has launched massive airstrikes across Ukraine.
Host) Global Village Today, this is the first news. Has US President Joe Biden made an official statement regarding the Chinese reconnaissance balloon?
Reporter) Yes. President Biden held a press conference at the White House on the 16th and revealed his position on the recent controversial shooting down of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon and an unidentified flying object. President Biden has briefly spoken to questions from White House reporters several times before, but this is the first time he has officially made a statement at his press conference.
Moderator) Please tell us what President Biden said.
Reporter) Yes. President Biden first revealed that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) immediately strengthened airspace security after a Chinese high-altitude balloon invaded US airspace last week. As a result, he was able to track down three unidentified vehicles and explained that he had given the order to destroy them because they endangered civil air traffic and the possibility of reconnaissance of sensitive facilities could not be ruled out.
Moderator) Three flying objects were found over North America for three days in a row, right?
Reporter) That’s right. From the 12th to the 14th, they were found over Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes in Alaska and northern Canada. President Biden explained that the aircraft were removed at the critical moment when they could be removed safely with the utmost care. In this process, he said that he also consulted closely with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Moderator) What did President Biden say about the identity of the aircraft?
Reporter) Yes. President Biden said he still doesn’t know what exactly these three objects are. But at the moment, he said, it doesn’t appear to be part of a Chinese or any other country’s reconnaissance program. Let’s listen to President Biden’s remarks.
[바이든 대통령] “We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were. But nothing, nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy balloon program or that they were surveillance vehicles from other, any other country…”
Reporter) Yes. Currently, there is nothing to indicate that these three balloons are related to China’s reconnaissance balloon program or are reconnaissance balloons from any other country. He added that the intelligence authorities’ current assessment is that the balloon is likely related to private businesses, recreation, or institutions that do meteorological or other scientific research.
Host) What did President Biden say about China’s reconnaissance balloons?
Reporter) Yes. President Biden emphasized that since he took office, the US government has strengthened its ability to research, identify, and track China’s high-altitude reconnaissance balloons linked to the People’s Liberation Army of China. He said that earlier this month, when one of the Chinese reconnaissance balloons entered US airspace, US authorities were also aware of the balloon’s route. And he explained that he had waited for it to go out to sea before shooting it down, considering not only the protection of civilians, but also the situation of collecting debris for further analysis. Let’s listen to President Biden’s remarks again.
[녹취: 바이든 대통령] “and then we shot it down, sending a clear message — clear message: The violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable. We will act to protect our country, and we did…”
Reporter) President Biden emphasized that the action to shoot down is to send a clear message that violating US sovereignty will never be tolerated. “We will act to protect our country, and we did,” he added.
Moderator) By the way, isn’t the conflict with China re-igniting over this issue? What did President Biden say about this part?
Reporter) Yes. President Biden repeatedly emphasized that he did not want relations with China to deteriorate, saying that the United States will continue to contact China, as it has over the past two weeks. President Biden also emphasized that, as he had been saying since the inauguration of the first administration, “we are seeking competition, not conflict with China,” and not seeking a new cold war. President Biden also expressed his desire to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding this incident.
[녹취: 바이든 대통령] “I will remain in communication with President Xi… And I expect to be speaking with President Xi, and I hope we have a — we are going to get to the bottom of this. But I make no apologies for taking down that balloon….”
Reporter) Yes. President Biden said he would continue to communicate with President Xi Jinping and would like to talk. And he said he wants to get to the bottom of the matter. But he made it clear he had no intention of apologizing for shooting down the balloon. Meanwhile, President Biden said that through this series of events, he would further strengthen the security of the US airspace, improve detection capabilities, and overhaul regulations such as aircraft operation.
Smoke rises from Russian artillery fire in the strategic city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. (data photo)
Presenter) Global Village Today, this time we will see news from Ukraine. Russia has resumed missile strikes across Ukraine?
Reporter) Yes. On the 16th, Russian forces launched missile strikes across Ukraine, killing at least one person and injuring several others. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired at least 36 missiles, 16 of which were shot down by the Ukrainian air force. Meanwhile, Ukraine has claimed that Russia has come up with a new strategy in its latest attack.
Host) Let’s hear what you’re talking about specifically.
Reporter) Yes. Oleksi Danlow, an adviser to Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), told Ukrainian television that Russian forces had launched reflector-equipped balloons in recent attacks to fool Ukraine’s air defense system. Danilov stressed that this means that the Russians are still preparing, and that they are starting to use other methods.
Host) How is the situation on the Eastern Front?
Reporter) Yes. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 15th that it had broken through two Ukrainian defense lines in eastern Luhansk. However, Ukraine immediately denied Russia’s claims. The Office of the President of Ukraine said on the 15th that Russian forces were attacked in some areas, but were repulsed. Meanwhile, the Russian private mercenary company ‘Wagner Group’ is attracting attention by delaying the expected timing of the occupation of Bahmut.
Host) Bahmut is the biggest battleground on the eastern front right now, right?
Reporter) Yes. It is a key strategic point in eastern Donetsk. It is evaluated that if the Russian army seizes Bakhmut, it will prepare a foothold to seize the entire Donbass that make up Donetsk and Luhansk. Russian forces led by the Wagner group have been intensively attacking Bahmut for the past few months.
Moderator) By the way, didn’t you claim that the Wagner group had taken control of some areas of Bahmut earlier?
Reporter) That’s right. Yevgeny Prigozin, the real owner of the Wagner Group, claimed on the 12th that the seizure of Bahmut was imminent, claiming that he had taken control of the northern outskirts of Bahmut. However, he said in a post on social media on the 16th that the occupation of Bahmut will be in March or April.
Moderator) Did you also say the reason for delaying the timing?
Reporter) Yes. He said the advance was not progressing as quickly as he would like. In addition, it was revealed that all supply routes must be cut off in order to occupy Bahmut. Mr. Prigozhin also criticized the Russian authorities, arguing that without the terrible military bureaucracy he would have captured Bakhmut before the New Year.
Moderator) On the other hand, Belarus has again denied the rumor of participation in the war, right?
Reporter) Yes. Belarus has supported Russia as a strong ally since the beginning of the war, and there are constant rumors of participation in the war as it conducts joint military training with the Russian army. In an interview with local media on the 16th, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly denied involvement in the Ukrainian war, saying, “We are ready to fight on our territory, together with Russia, only if Belarus’ territory is invaded.”
Moderator) In the midst of this, there is an important international security conference in Germany, right?
Reporter) From the 17th to the 19th, the international security forum ‘Munich Security Conference’ will be held in Munich, Germany. The summit will be attended by heads of state from over 40 countries, foreign and defense ministers from over 90 countries, and political and security experts from around the world. As the meeting will be held ahead of the first year of the war in Ukraine, the Ukraine crisis is expected to be the main agenda item. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a virtual speech at the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, Russian officials did not attend this year’s meeting for the first time in about 20 years.
Host) Global Village Today, I will listen to this.
