JCS chairman calls for robust readiness against N.K.'s surprise attacks

▲ Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo speaks during his visit to the Army's Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2023, in this photo provided by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

JCS chairman-NK threat

JCS chairman calls for robust readiness against N.K.'s surprise attacks

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo on Tuesday ordered strong preparedness against any possible surprise artillery attacks as North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day.

Kim visited the Army's Ground Operations Command in charge of border defense units and received a briefing on the North Korean military's activities and possible provocation scenarios after Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement last month.

"The enemy will stage manipulative, complex provocations that are hard for us to respond to," Kim said. "If the enemy provokes, I want you to thoroughly retaliate with an overwhelming capability to deter additional threats."

Kim emphasized the importance of close coordination between the combined firepower task force units of South Korea and the United States to "annihilate" North Korea's artillery attacks in the shortest time.

The North is estimated to have some 700 long-range artillery pieces, with about 300 of them evaluated to pose a threat to the Seoul metropolitan area, home to about half of the country's 51.5 million people, according to Seoul officials.

He also ordered the military personnel to prepare against simultaneous artillery attacks similar to the Palestinian militant group Hamas tactics, and bolster the strike capability to destroy the North's underground tunnels and ammunition storage in times of war.

Inter-Korean tension has escalated after Pyongyang scrapped the 2018 agreement after Seoul partially suspended the deal in protest of the North's launch of its first military spy satellite on Nov. 21.

On Tuesday, North Korea said it test-fired the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM the previous day to "take a powerful warning measure" against mounting U.S. hostility.

In response, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan began operating a real-time missile data sharing system earlier in the day to bolster trilateral security cooperation against the North.

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