Ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Won Yoo Chul, the sitting chair of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, has reacted negatively to Bill Richardson’s trip to Pyongyang and warned of the risk of a North Korean attack on the Seoul greater metropolitan area or some other unexpected provocation.
Appearing on a KBS radio program, ‘Good Morning, This is Hong Ji Myong’, this morning, Won said of Richardson’s recent visit to North Korea, “This is a repeat of what was suggested in 1994. I got the feeling that that failed attempt to denuclearize North Korea was being repeated once again.”
“After all, North Korea’s denuclearization rhetoric this time is just an attempt to get its nuclear development justified,” he added. “Contrary to expectations, allowing IAEA inspectors back will only justify North Korea’s nuclear weapons development by advertising its nuclear activities.”
Instead, he went on, “Before they can receive sincere inspections, they must enter the NPT regime again.”
Meanwhile, Won also warned that North Korea will continue to provoke on an unpredictable basis, saying, “Since North Korea is not one to always use the same method of provocation, we are in the position of not knowing how or when they will provoke; they have made surprise attacks many times.”
He went on, “North Korea always conducts sneak attacks at unpredictable locations and with unpredictable methods,” therefore, “The South Korean armed forces are preparing for every possible scenario.”
“It is possible that North Korea may commit a terrorist attack on important facilities in the capital or another strategic location, or by using chemical or biological weapons,” he added.
Despite that, and acknowledging that tensions on the Korean Peninsula are not positive, Won concluded, “We must get an apology and promise that there will be no repeat of the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong attacks.”
