By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee said Wednesday that if an emergency situation or political instability takes place in North Korea, South Korea must use all means necessary to prevent any potential negative influence from China.
At a meeting for the parliament's ad hoc committee on inter-Korean relations, Lee spoke about the future of North Korea, and how neighboring China might react if the Stalinist regime becomes unstable or collapses in the coming years.
He especially referred to recent remarks by Bruce Bennett, a noted defense analyst at the U.S.-based Rand Corporation. Bennett recently discussed the possibility that China might get itself involved in North Korea's internal situation if the regime becomes unstable.
``Bennett offered it as a possible scenario, not something that would definitely happen," the minister said.
The Rand analyst delivered a speech at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul in October. He warned that Seoul should prepare for a possible Chinese military intervention in the event of a regime collapse in the North.
Bennett even offered up a specific scenario, saying if China decides to intervene after the North Korean regime's collapse, ``Its armies will arrive in Pyongyang before South Korean troops get there."
He said a continued South Korea-U.S. alliance and technical assistance from the U.S. military would be beneficial for South Korean forces.
The analyst also said that in the future, South Korea would need up to 24 ready divisions and as many as 27 reserve divisions, to deal with a possible regime collapse in the North and to carry out peacekeeping operations on the peninsula.
Minister Lee also said that in planning for a possible regime collapse in the North, ``our forces are modernizing our equipment and streamlining our structure. We are turning high-tech and are maintaining the quality of our forces. Our troops are improving their mobility and maneuverability to be ready in case of a possible conflict."
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said that Hillary Clinton, who has been nominated to become the next U.S. state secretary, will not visit North Korea anytime soon.
He said Clinton would not get to visit the North during the first half of 2009. ``I think it would be difficult for her to visit North Korea before the nuclear issue gets completely resolved."