Yoon tells National Assembly that South Korea will cooperate with U.S. and Japan to deter any provocation from Pyongyang
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol said North Korea is regarded to “have already completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test” as Pyongyang has been “expressing will for a pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons.”
While raising a sense of urgency on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, Yoon said Seoul would cooperate with Washington and Tokyo even more closely to strengthen deterrence against any provocation from North Korea.
“The security reality is very serious,” Yoon told the National Assembly. “We will strengthen the deterrence against North Korea with overwhelming capabilities through the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture and South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation so our people can lead their daily lives with peace of mind.”
North Korea has recently continued threatening military provocations by, among others, launching ballistic missiles with “unprecedented frequency” and raising tension to conduct a nuclear test any time soon.
Yoon, however, opened the window for dialogue by reiterating his previous remarks during the Aug. 15 Independence Day speech, where he offered to “provide political and economic support for North Korea through ‘bold initiative’ if it comes out to the dialogue table.”
His latest remarks on North Korea came as part of his second budget speech to the National Assembly since inauguration, as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) boycotted the session amid the recent domestic political tension over the prosecution’s investigation against the top DP leader, Lee Jae-myung.
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K-News