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| ▲ Adm. Kim Myung-soo, the nominee to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), answers reporters' questions before heading to his office in the defense ministry's annex building in Seoul on Nov. 1, 2023. (Yonhap) |
JCS chairman nominee-military agreement
JCS chairman nominee says 2018 inter-Korean military agreement poses limitations
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- The nominee to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement poses limitations to the South Korean military, vowing to bolster the combined posture to fend off growing North Korean threats.
Adm. Kim Myung-soo made the assessment in his first public remarks since his promotion Sunday to four-star general and subsequent appointment to the top military post to replace the incumbent JCS chief Gen. Kim Seung-kyum.
"There are certainly limitations militarily," Kim told reporters, without elaborating on whether it should be suspended.
The Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed under former liberal President Moon Jae-in amid a reconciliatory mood, calls for setting up maritime buffer zones that ban artillery firing and naval drills to prevent clashes in the tensely guarded region.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, who took office last month, has repeatedly asserted the need to suspend the accord to bolster military readiness near the tensely guarded land and sea borders.
Kim stressed the importance of the combined posture among the armed services to maintain strong military readiness against rising threats posed by North Korea.
"I feel grave responsibility. If I take office, the South Korean military should exist as a tiger and fight like a hound," Kim said. "The military should itself be a deterrent and a threat, and its value lies there."
Kim, who formerly served as the naval operations commander, has held various posts at the Navy and the JCS, leading joint exercises with the United States, as well as trilateral drills also involving Japan.
It is the first time in 10 years that a Navy officer has been appointed to the top military post since Adm. Choi Yoon-hee served as the JCS chairman from 2013 to 2015.
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