Yoon takes a tough stance in response to ‘hypersonic’ threat
South Korea’s top two presidential candidates clashed over how to respond to the North Korean missiles as Pyongyang launched what may be a more advanced “hypersonic” missile than the one it tested less than a week ago.
The South Korean military detected the launch of a projectile from inland North Korea at 7:27 a.m. on January 11 toward the sea off its east coast, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The JSC said that the missile flew over 700 kilometers from Jagang Province, near the Chinese border, at a top altitude of 60 kilometers and a maximum speed of Mach 10, which is 10 times the speed of sound or around 7,672 miles per hour.
“We assess that this is more advanced than the missile North Korea fired on Jan. 5, though South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting detailed analysis,” the JCS said. The South Korean military previously said that it would be an exaggeration to call North Korea’s previous missile “hypersonic.” North Korea continued to argue that it was hypersonic, and some commentators speculate that it launched a more advanced one to show that it acquired such technology.
Six days earlier, the North launched a ballistic missile from Jagang towards its east coast, which Pyongyang claimed was hypersonic. It was its first weapons test of the year. Hypersonic missiles reach speeds greater than Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound. These types of missiles were developed to avoid interception, and only a few countries have developed them, such as the United States, Russia, and China.
It is not confirmed yet whether North Korea successfully acquired hypersonic technology. However, some experts believe that it probably did. This is very troublesome for South Korea, which shares a border with North Korea.
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), made strong comments that mainstream politicians do not often make at a New Year’s press conference on Tuesday.
“If North Korea launches a nuclear missile with a speed of over Mach 5, it would take less than a minute to lead to mass destruction in the Seoul metropolitan area, and this means it would technically be impossible to intercept it,” Yoon said. “I think there is no way to prevent it except for using a preemptive strike measure under the kill chain principle when North Korea shows signs of launching one.”
Yoon then criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s failed North Korean policies. “I see North Korea’s favor as a ‘peace show’ and we should stop Pyongyang from further developing nuclear weapons by recognizing reality as it is and putting pressure on it through diplomacy,” he said. “I read an article that President Moon Jae-in requested that the French president, who chairs the UN Security Council, to waive UNSC sanctions against North Korea by highlighting North Korea’s good faith. However, it allowed North Korea to further advance its missile technology [while the Moon administration pursued such policies].”
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) seemed to attack Yoon more than it criticized North Korea for violating inter-Korean agreements and international sanctions.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate from the DP, argued that “I think people will be really worried” due to Yoon’s comments.
DP floor leader Yoon Ho-jung said, “Yoon is trying to bring up the idea of peace through war. If he has patriotism toward the Republic of Korea, he should retract his comments that are leading 70 million people with the same blood toward war.”
Choi Ji-eun, a spokesperson from the DP’s election team, told reporters at a press briefing that “Yoon’s preemptive strike comment is shocking, and I doubt whether he really said that.” Choi added that “even if he was talking about a hypothetical situation, that is a completely inappropriate comment that can endanger the Korean Peninsula.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also confirmed the launch. It released a statement that said, “We are aware of the ballistic missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s illicit weapons program. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad.”
North Korea’s launch came as the New York-based UN Security Council convened a closed-door session Monday to discuss Pyongyang’s hypersonic missile launch last Wednesday. It was reported that the second launch came just an hour after the session ended.
The United States and five other countries (Japan-U.K.-France-Ireland-Albania) issued a joint statement ahead of the meeting condemning last week’s missile launch and calling on the 15-member Security Council to stand united against North Korea’s “ongoing, destabilizing and unlawful actions.”
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “The DPRK’s continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs is a threat to international peace and security,” using the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
