Seoul last week abruptly withdrew from the Kaesong industrial complex, where South Korean firms operated factories that employed North Korean workers, arguing hard currency from the symbol of cooperation with the North is believed to have been diverted to weapons development.
Advertisement
But other ways South Korea can pressure the North are being discussed.
American F-22 Raptors have joined locally based F-16s and F-15K Slam Eagles in South Korea for a show of force following “provocative actions” by the North.
The system, known as THAAD, consists of truck-mounted anti-ballistic missiles capable of intercepting incoming missiles either in or above the atmosphere. Opponents say the system could help US radar spot missiles in other countries. In 2010, North Korean shelling killed 4 South Koreans, and a 1987 Northern bombing attack on a South Korean plane killed all passengers on the aircraft, reports CBS News.
The stand off between the North and South is unlikely to end soon with the USA reaffirming its commitment to protecting its southern ally.
South Korean intelligence officials say Un’s spy agency has started to implement his order to carry out cyber and other attacks on South Korea. It is unclear, however, how badly this could hurt the North.
The government of the conservative Park Geun-hye recently asked its citizens to avoid visiting North Korean restaurants overseas for security reasons, another move apparently aimed at blocking foreign exchange earners of Pyongyang. Beijing is seen as protecting the North over fears of provoking a collapse in Pyongyang and a stream of refugees across their border.
The new measures are meant to deny North Korea the money it needs to develop miniaturized warheads and the long-range missiles required to deliver them. But the idea has entered the political debate.
South Korea’s presidential office said this latest NIS assessment highlights how important it is to pass an anti-terrorism bill they have been pushing for for some time.
Ko defected to South Korea in 1991 after serving as a North Korean diplomat at the North’s embassy in the Congo. Last month, it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea following the North’s fourth nuclear test.
The mission demonstrated the strength of the alliance between the USA and South Korea and the resolve of both nations to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula, officials said.
Advertisement
Seoul now seems no longer willing to continue such aid.
