Yoon says only punishment and retaliation can deter provocations

Dec 30, 2022, 08:30 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol visits the Agency for Defense Development in Daejeon on Thursday morning to inspect the development of weapons systems. / Source: Presidential Office

AsiaToday reporter Kim Na-ri

President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed Thursday that firm punishment and retaliation are the only means to deter provocations during a visit to the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

“North Korea’s violation of our airspace by drones was a completely unacceptable incident,” Yoon said, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung.

“We must make overwhelmingly superior war preparations in order to gain peace,” Yoon said. “We must clearly realize that with disguised peace, not only can we not defend our security, but its foundation will collapse.”

“We must make them realize that provocations come with harsh consequences,” he said. “Whether our opponent has nuclear weapons or whatever weapon of mass destruction, we must send a clear message to people who habitually carry out provocations, and we must never fear them or hesitate.”

President Yoon continued to make intense remarks against the North, expressing his strong will to respond and calming public anxiety which has grown due to North Korea’s recent drone infiltration.

The president also ordered a re-examination of the military’s response system to correct lax military discipline. “Re-examine the military’s overall response system against not only North Korean drones but all flying objects invading South Korean airspace, and promptly repair any shortcomings,” Yoon said. “In response to North Korea’s attempts to strengthen its asymmetrical military strengths, we must conduct an overall review of our military’s strength enhancement plans,” he said.

“There can be no army that does not think about war and does not prepare for it,” he said. “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I hope that our military will become an army full of courage and determination to fight and win.”

“Our military must become a powerful military that instills unapproachable fear in our enemy and firm confidence in our people,” he said. “Our ADD, who create the military and its power system, must always prepare for illegal wars and prepare for war for the safety of the people.”

#Yoon Suk-yeol #ADD #North Korea #provocation #drones