The Ministry of National Defense has strongly refuted allegations from opposition parties regarding the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts towards North Korea and the infiltration incident of a drone into Pyongyang, stating that these claims are in agreement with North Korean assertions and pose a serious threat to national security.
In a message sent to the press on the 13th, the Ministry declared, “There have been instances where certain parties have distorted our military’s normal activities as provocations intended to coax North Korea, and we aim to clarify the accurate facts concerning these claims.”
The Ministry noted, “Our military has consistently maintained a steadfast military readiness stance and deterred North Korean provocations through a coherent North Korea policy. Recently, however, some have unfoundedly connected our normal military activities and measures with suspicions of ‘wind operations’ as seen at the end of last year, thereby causing security anxiety and stifling our military’s operations.”
The Ministry further warned against aligning with North Korea’s stance on issues such as the ‘suspension of the September 19 military agreement,’ ‘response to North Korea’s waste and trash balloons,’ ‘loudspeaker broadcasts,’ and allegations surrounding the ‘drone infiltration into Pyongyang’ and ‘propaganda leaflet dispersal.’
Moreover, the Ministry highlighted that North Korea unilaterally announced the complete abolition of the September 19 agreement at the end of 2023 and has committed over 4,000 violations since, including indiscriminate provocations like launching balloons with waste and trash since May 2024.
The Ministry stressed that the measures like the ‘suspension of the September 19 military agreement’ and the ‘resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts towards North Korea’ are entirely normal responses to these inhumane provocations by North Korea.
They also highlighted that the consistent approach to North Korea’s waste and trash balloons has been ‘collecting after descent’ with patience, warning of decisive military action if they severely threaten the public’s safety, and emphasized that claims of intending to provoke North Korea through preemptive strikes are baseless.
Finally, the Ministry called for an end to unfounded claims that undermine military activities and morale, emphasizing collaboration in investigations to clarify facts post-martial law and maintaining a firm preparedness to deter North Korea, focusing solely on the adversary.