Inter-Korean tension rises as North... > 정치기사 | politics

As the aftermath of the North Korea-Russia treaty spills over into the South Korea-Russia conflict, North Korea is likely to send additional filth balloons this week to escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It is expected that the first South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral multidomain military exercise, which will be held this week, will be used as a justification for the early implementation of the North Korea-Russia treaty.


The South Korean military authorities remained on high alert on June 23, eyeing the possibility of North Korea sending off a fourth round of filth balloons this week. "They have done what we told them not to do again, so its natural that we will have something to do that we dont have to do," Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on 21st. She was referring to the anti-North Korea leaflets sent by a North Korean defector group on the 20th. If North Korea dumps additional trash balloons, the South Korean military is expected to respond with measures, such as the resumption of loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts to the North.

Earlier, North Korea sent the balloons three times last month, on May 28-29, June 1-2, and 8-9. On June 4, the South Korean government declared the complete suspension of "September 19 Military Agreement,” and on the 9th, it resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts to the North. North Korea has since refrained from responding in kind, which some have interpreted as the North took Russian President Vladimir Putins visit to Pyongyang on the 19th into consideration. Now that the North Korea-Russia talks have concluded, the North’s direct provocations are likely to resume.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are holding the "Freedom Edge" drill this week, which involves maritime, underwater, air, and cyber operations. For the drill, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Aegis-equipped destroyer USS Halsey, and the USS Daniel Inouye arrived at a naval base in Busan on the 22th. North Korea is expected to escalate tensions on the peninsula by issuing a statement condemning the drill.

The South Korean military is expected to conduct artillery drills and other exercises near the border before and after June 25, the date of the Korean War.

North Korea is holding the 8th Plenum of the 10th Workers Party Central Committee this week, which concludes the first half of the year. The meeting is expected to politicize the North Korea-Russia treaty and then hold a Supreme Peoples Assembly in the near future to reflect the treatys military cooperation in the constitution and other laws.

"The physical implementation of the treaty, such as joint North Korea-Russia drills, will not be possible until the end of the year," said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. "Until then, there is a risk that North Korea’s filth balloons and South Korea’s countermeasures will lead to a belligerent situation’ between the two."



Kwak Hee-yang

경향신문 주요뉴스

· ‘유행’처럼 소비되는 ‘AV 배우’ 콘텐츠…불법 성매매·인권침해 외면
· 쿠팡은 왜 로켓배송을 중단하겠다는 걸까
· “돈 있음 쳐봐” 김호중, 3년전 난투극 영상 확산
· 사파리 구역서 조깅하던 30대 여성, 늑대들에 물려 중상
· 400만 돌풍 ‘인사이드 아웃 2’…한국인 애니메이터가 만든 캐릭터는?
· 경기 화성 육군부대서 20대 병사 숨진 채 발견···잇따른 군 사망
· 정지돈 작가, 과거 연인과의 일화 무단 인용 의혹
· 체육 교사 꿈꾸던 22살 대학생 조병훈씨···5명 생명 살리고 떠나
· [속보]국민의힘 “법사위·운영위 1년씩 번갈아 맡자” 민주당에 추가 제안
· [단독]대통령 집무실이 ‘관저’라는 경찰…대법원은 번번이 “아니다” 판단

▶ 매일 라이브 경향티비, 재밌고 효과빠른 시사 소화제!
▶ ’5·18 성폭력 아카이브’ 16명의 증언을 모두 확인하세요

ⓒ경향신문www.khan.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지