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Pres. Park concerns about N. Korea’s possible provocation

Pres. Park concerns about N. Korea’s possible provocation

Posted December. 17, 2013 03:21,   

한국어

President Park Geun-hye said on Monday, “We cannot exclude the possibility of North Korea’s reckless provocation. The National Security Team must take the lead in monitoring its move and get prepared for every possible situation.”

The president chaired a senior secretary meeting and a meeting of foreign affairs and security ministers at the presidential office on Monday to monitor North Korea’s move after the execution of Jang Sung Thaek, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle, and discuss how to respond to it.

President Park said, “A series of events in North Korea make it impossible to predict the future of North Korea.” Few in the meetings disagreed over the Kim Jong Un regime has been further solidified by the death of Jang North Korea’s no.2 leader, but they reviewed scenarios on Kim Jong Un’s possible options.

The president said, “We must also consider the possibility of North Korea’s attempt to disintegrate the South and cause a chaos. The government and the people must unite to cope with the situation carefully.” Sources from the presidential office said that her concern is that while North Korea takes an appeasement policy in the name of economic development, some pro-North Korea groups could shake the government’s North Korea policy, the zero tolerance on North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

President Park also stressed discipline to government officials, saying, “Both the military and police must be on alert in border regions including five islands closest to North Korea in the West Sea. All officials need to be on emergency alert for some time.” A presidential office source said, “The (Park) administration takes the situation seriously but responds with calmness.”

Pyongyang did not issued a release on the commemoration event for the second anniversary of ex-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Monday. North Korean media outlets including the state-run Rodong Shinmun Newspaper covered stories idolizing the late ex-leader.

After the execution of Jang Song Thaek, the no. 2 leader, on Thursday, North Korean media covered Kim Jong Un for three days in a row from Saturday. The Korean Central News Agency, the regime’s mouthpiece, said on Monday that Kim Jong Un inspected the August 25 Fishery Station under the Korean People’s Army Unit 313 and the funeral of Kim Kook Tae, a former party secretary. It released a photo in which Kim and fishery station workers stand arm in arm with a bright smile. It is seen as a political gesture to show publicly that his uncle’s execution did not affect him.