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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in |
The South Korean president has instructed the country's Armed Forces to prepare an offensive strategy in the event of a North Korean attack on Seoul.
TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in has instructed the country's Armed Forces to prepare an offensive strategy in the event of a North Korean attack on Seoul, local media reported Monday.
TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in has instructed the country's Armed Forces to prepare an offensive strategy in the event of a North Korean attack on Seoul, local media reported Monday.
"I want you to strongly push for reform of the military structure to meet the requirements of modern warfare so that it can quickly switch to an offensive posture in case North Korea stages a provocation that crosses the line or attacks the capital region," the Yonhap news agency quoted the president as saying at a meeting with the country's top military officials.
The president also stressed the need for implementing the defense reform in light of the growing threat from the country's northern neighbor.
"Unless the defense reform is preceded by serious discussions on why it has never been properly carried out… and why the establishment of the three key defense systems has been delayed despite North Korea's continued nuclear and missile provocations and advancements, defense reform will again become nothing but a hollow slogan," Moon said, as quoted by the newspaper.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently flared up following the adoption of the UN Security Council sanctions in early August in response to Pyongyang’s July missile launches. The move led to North Korea trading threats and warnings with the United States, with Pyongyang saying it might consider an attack on the area near the US territory of Guam in the Western Pacific.
Despite the improvement of rhetoric over recent days, Washington and Seoul started their joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise in South Korea on August 21, which is expected to last until August 31. Pyongyang condemned the drills saying they would only escalate the situation in the region.
In June, China initiated a road map for the settlement of the North Korean crisis, the so-called double freeze plan, which provides for the simultaneous cessation of North Korea's nuclear activity and the US-South Korean military exercises. The initiative has been supported by Russia but rejected by the United States. North Korea has yet to issue a response to the proposal.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.