Tensions are escalating on the Korean Peninsula as South and North Korea continue to engage in a tit-for-tat exchange over the North’s release of trash-laden balloons. In response to these actions, the presidential office announced on Sunday a plan to commence loudspeaker broadcasts along the border areas.
This is the third trash balloon campaign of its kind by North Korea since late May, launched in retaliation against South Korea-based activists who have been floating anti-North Korean leaflets across the border. Military authorities noted that the North resumed releasing the balloons on Saturday. By 10 a.m. Sunday, they had found 330 balloons, with 80 landing in South Korea. Many balloons presumably fell into the sea or onto North Korean soil. Previously, North Korea had sent approximately 1,000 balloons from May 28 to June 2.
North Korea claims its release of trash balloons is a direct response to the activists’ distribution of anti-North Korean leaflets. On June 2, the North’s vice defense minister in
itially vowed to halt the balloons but threatened to resume if the leaflet activities continued. Alongside the balloons, the North has employed various provocative methods, including GPS jamming offensives and ballistic missile launches.
South Korean civic groups sent the leaflets on Thursday and Friday, prompting the North to resume the release of the trash balloons. The presidential office convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Saturday and decided to resume loudspeaker broadcasts along the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. North Korea has reacted strongly to the broadcasts due to their far-reaching impact on its frontline soldiers and the citizens in the nearby city of Gaeseong. The broadcasts will resume for the first time since 2018, just before the inter-Korean summit between then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The Yoon Suk Yeol government has vowed to implement measures that North Korea cannot tolerate, including the loudspeaker broadcasts,
should the North continue its balloon campaign. On June 4, the Yoon administration decided to scrap the 2018 tension-easing inter-Korean military agreement, paving the way for live-fire drills and other military activities in border areas to counter possible provocations by the North.
Reopening the loudspeaker broadcasts will likely prompt North Korea to take countermeasures nonetheless. There are growing concerns that the North might be inclined to launch surgical strikes near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. North Korea should abstain from military provocations and intimidation. The South has cautioned North Korea by warning Pyongyang that it “will be held accountable for any escalation of tensions in the future.”
First and foremost, the military authorities should maintain solid defense postures to safeguard the people’s lives and safety. They should ensure military preparedness against North Korea’s possible provocations.
In this context, it is troubling that a battalion commander on the
frontline was discovered to have been wining and dining with his staff members despite warnings regarding North Korea’s trash balloons. This incident significantly erodes trust in the military. Stringent punitive measures should be implemented against the commander and other relevant personnel to prevent future occurrences and foster greater awareness within the military.
A momentary lapse in vigilance could provoke North Korea into initiating further provocations. Concerns are also mounting over the potential escalation of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, particularly amidst the escalating confrontation without any available channels for dialogue between the two Koreas.
Coincidentally, President Yoon Suk Yeol embarked on trips to three central Asian nations -Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan – from Monday until Saturday. However, the absence of the military’s top commander should not lead to a lapse in security.
Prudent and measured actions are essential to forestall sudden conflicts
and maintain stability in the region. Security and diplomatic authorities should explore proactive and innovative methods to revive the suspended inter-Korean dialogue and ease tensions while strengthening security measures.
Source: Yonhap News Agency