The expression’North Korean military is the enemy’

Increasing North Korean Missile Forces Threats SLBM
‘Difficult to grasp’ level evaluation 2 years ago
Voices of criticism of “easy adversary”
Like the ‘2018 Defense White Paper’ published two years ago in the ‘2020 Defense White Paper’ published on the 2nd, the military excluded the phrase’North Korean military is the enemy’ and said, “Our military threatens the sovereignty, territory, people, and property of the Republic of Korea. And regard the invading forces as our enemies.”

In response, the military explained that’enemy expression’ is a concept that can encompass not only North Korean threats, but also potential threats and transnational and non-military security threats. However, there are many criticisms that the fact that the North Korean regime focusing on maximizing nuclear force and the North Korean military are not specified as enemies in the defense white paper containing the substance of the security threat and the stance of countermeasures is a low-profile, easy-going adversary who is conscious of the government’s principle of reconciliation and peace.

In fact, according to the white paper, the threat from North Korea has increased. The ‘2020 Defense White Paper’ evaluated the total number of missile brigades under North Korea’s strategic forces at 13 and the types of missiles developed and possessed by North Korea at 17. Compared to the ‘2018 Defense White Paper’, the number of missile brigades has increased by four and the number of missile types has increased by three.

The ‘2018 Defense White Paper’ included’Special Operations Forces’ of 200,000 people in the army, but this white paper was made as a separate item, introducing the scenes of the special operations forces’ occupation of the island and the strike training of strategic facilities of the ROK military, and described the threat. In addition, along with photos of new weapons such as new tanks, which were unveiled at the North Korean Labor Party’s founding ceremony in October last year, the Navy is improving long-range attack capabilities by installing anti-ship missiles on some of the new medium and large ships. It also included the construction of the new submarine. Regarding North Korea’s nuclear threat, the white paper stated, “It is estimated that it possesses 50 kg of weapon-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU), and nuclear miniaturization seems to have reached a considerable level.” A military official explained that “it is difficult to confirm and understand the substance because there is no data to judge (North Korea’s nuclear threat).” However, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DNI) and many experts have made the North’s nuclear threat too low, given that North Korea has already achieved nuclear miniaturization, has at least several hundred kg of HEU, and that the amount increases by tens of kg each year. It is pointed out that it is being evaluated. Yoon Sang-ho, military reporter [email protected]