U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken visits Korea on the afternoon of the 8th. Secretary Blinken is expected to seek more intensive response measures in response to North Korea’s continued violation of UN Security Council resolutions through the ROK-US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting during this two-day visit to Korea.
During this visit, which is his first since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration in May of last year, Secretary Blinken is scheduled to meet with President Yoon Seok-yeol and meet National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong in addition to the ROK-US Foreign Ministers’ meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin.
Summarizing News 1’s coverage on the 7th, it is expected that both Korea and the United States will reaffirm the solidity of the United States’ ‘extended deterrence’ pledge in relation to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and provocation threats through talks held on the occasion of Secretary Blinken’s visit to Korea.
In addition, the two sides are expected to exchange opinions on future development plans for the ROK-US alliance, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, cooperation in the fields of economic security and high technology, and the situation not only in Northeast Asia but also in Ukraine and the Middle East.
In particular, as both South Korean and U.S. authorities currently believe that North Korea is highly likely to be receiving technical support for the development and operation of reconnaissance satellites in return for supplying weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war to Russia, it is expected that they will focus on discussing related measures. .
The launch of North Korea’s ballistic missiles and all aircraft using such technology is prohibited in accordance with the Security Council’s resolution on sanctions against North Korea. Since satellite launch vehicles also utilize ballistic missile technology, North Korea’s attempt to launch a satellite is also a violation of the Security Council resolution.
The act of UN member states trading arms with North Korea is also a violation of Security Council resolutions, and in particular, Russia is one of the permanent members of the Security Council directly responsible for the adoption of such resolutions.
Meanwhile, our government and military authorities are monitoring related trends, believing that North Korea may make a third attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite with Russia’s support as early as this month.
However, since last year, when North Korea resumed test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time in five years, discussions on responses, including the adoption of additional sanctions resolutions at the Security Council level, have repeatedly been canceled due to opposition from Russia and China, permanent members of the Security Council and major allies of North Korea. Considering this, the prevailing observation is that “there will be realistic limits to the Security Council’s response to North Korea’s attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite.”
For this reason, it is expected that South Korea and the United States will increase the level of ‘pressure’ on North Korea by linking and strengthening each country’s independent sanctions with Japan and major European countries, separate from the ‘public opinion campaign’ that points out North Korea’s illegal activities at the Security Council level. do. In some cases, imposing sanctions not only on North Korea but also on Russia may be discussed.
Moon Seong-mook, director of the Center for Unification Strategy at the Korea Institute for National Strategy, said, “It will be difficult to impose additional sanctions against North Korea or condemn it at the Security Council level,” and added, “Ultimately, like-minded Western countries will focus on announcing sanctions individually or in cooperation.” I expected it.
In addition, considering the fact that the United States is pointing out that ‘the influence of the United States has weakened’ in relation to the situation of the Israel-Palestine war triggered by the recent surprise attack by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, “Secretary Blinken will discuss the ROK-US alliance and Korea during this visit to Korea.” “There is a possibility that they will try to emphasize again that their commitment to defense is firm,” explained Center Director Moon.
Both South Korea and the United States are expected to actively publicize the poor human rights issues of North Korean residents as a means of putting pressure on North Korea. Minister Park emphasized, “Protecting North Korean defectors overseas is a core task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and diplomatic missions abroad,” at a screening of “Beyond Utopia,” a documentary about the journey of North Korean defectors held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the previous day.
In relation to this, the current ROK-US foreign ministers’ meeting is expected to discuss measures to raise the international community’s interest in North Korean human rights issues, including the recent Chinese authorities’ forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.