Stresses President Yoon while receiving a report from the Ministry of National Defense

Regarding the power of the "Korean-style three-axis system" in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Jan. 11, "The most important way to prevent an attack is to firmly establish the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) ability that can retaliate 100 times and 1,000 times if we are attacked."

After receiving a report from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2023, President Yoon ordered Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup to strengthen the military power, saying, "The most important thing in the three-axis system is KMPR and should be supplemented."

In an interview with the Associated Press at the Presidential office on Jan. 10, President Yoon Suk-yeol points to a phone, a hotline (direct phone) with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
In an interview with the Associated Press at the Presidential office on Jan. 10, President Yoon Suk-yeol points to a phone, a hotline (direct phone) with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"Defense is important, but it costs 10 times more to defend than attack," President Yoon said. Therefore, North Korea is focusing only on low-cost attacks. We should always have a huge amount of missile inventory with strong firepower."

His remarks mean that among the three-axis systems consisting of the Kill Chain, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), and the KMPR, the KMPR's capability to destroy the North Korean war leadership should be drastically strengthened.

Taking into account the recent security loophole case following the North Korea's drone invasion of airspace, Yoon seems to stress that securing overwhelming and offensive power to instill fear in the North is necessary.

President Yoon said, "The solid KMPR is a close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. jointly planned and implemented in the management of U.S. nuclear assets."

He added, "As the problem becomes more serious, we may deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Korea or we may have our own nuclear weapons. However, it is important to choose a realistically possible mean."

In response, the Ministry of National Defense reported that it would secure aggressive deterrence power against North Korea by using expressions such as "development of the concept of disruption and destruction before launch of a North Korean missile" and "Securing the ability to destroy the entire North."

 

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