New Defense Minister Stands Firm on NK Threat
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Instability in North Korea could arise at any time, South Korea's new defense minister said Wednesday, vowing to transform the country's forces to deal with a broad range of threats.
``Military tension persists on the Korean Peninsula while instability can arise at any time in North Korea,'' Kim Tae-young said in his speech as he was sworn in as minister of national defense.
When Kim served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), he came under the spotlight as he told a National Assembly hearing that he would order an attack on North Korea should the communist state deploy tactical nuclear weapons.
Kim later explained he was referring to a routine military measure, but the incident labeled him a hardliner and prompted North Korea to accuse him of harboring the idea of a pre-emptive offensive.
Kim had served as JCS chairman since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February last year after winning the election on a platform of economic pledges and a disciplined stance on Pyongyang.
The comment by Kim, retiring as the highest general here, reflects lingering suspicions that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, despite recent forays onto the diplomatic scene, may relapse into illness.
The North's top ruler met with former U.S. President Bill Clinton last month and Chinese special envoy Dai Bingguo last week, damping speculation he has yet to recover from a stroke he reportedly suffered last year.
Questions about his health raised regional tensions as the 67-year-old has yet to publicly name a successor to take over the impoverished state, which conducted two known nuclear tests in 2006 and this year.
South Korea and the U.S. have since bolstered their efforts to create a joint operational plan to deal with a regime collapse in Pyongyang, with Minister Kim leading the South Korean side.
``I will engage in global military diplomacy pivoted on the South Korea-U.S. alliance,'' Kim said in his swearing-in speech at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul.
``A broad range of national security threats and changes in war fighting environments are forcing us to transform ourselves,'' he said.
Kim, 60, replaces Lee Sang-hee, who was one of the longest serving Cabinet members in President Lee's administration.
Amid speculation he would be subject to a government reshuffle ― which took place early this month ― Lee sent a personal letter of protest to the President last month over a compromise in defense spending, increasing pressure for his replacement.