President Yoon emphasizes security measures at Army Headquarters: ”North Korea could provoke us at any time”

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol said on the 21st that "the North Korean regime is the most irrational group on earth, capable of carrying out provocations at any time," and added, "Only the strong security posture of our military can prevent it from doing so."
President Yoon also visited the Army Ground Operations Command on the same day and offered encouragement to the soldiers who are devoting themselves to the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which combines the South Korean and US militaries.
The visit is the first by a sitting president since the 1st and 3rd Field Commands were merged in 2019.
Upon arriving at the headquarters, President Yoon wrote in the guest book, "Center of the battlefield, vanguard of unification!
President Yoon visited the Combat Operations Headquarters and said, "All soldiers have the confidence to defend the lives and safety of our people and our free democratic system."
"We must arm ourselves with a strong will," he said, "and make the North Korean regime, which dreams of communist unification and is always targeting the Republic of Korea, understand that aggression will mean the end of its regime."
"The UFS exercise is important for realizing peace through strength, as it checks the readiness to carry out a national total war and strengthens the joint defense posture," he said. "Our government has suspended the exercise for three years.
"We have revived the UFS exercises, which had been suspended, and strengthened our defense posture. This year marks the third time we have held the exercises, and we have further systematized our exercises and training," he emphasized.
"The ROK and U.S. soldiers who are devoted to the exercises are the foundation of the joint defense posture.
"As the commander-in-chief of the national armed forces, I have complete confidence in you and look forward to achieving many results through these practical exercises," he said.
President Yoon shook hands with each of the approximately 70 U.S. and South Korean soldiers taking part in the exercise in a war room at the Combat Operations Headquarters and offered words of encouragement.
After posing for a commemorative photograph with soldiers from both countries, President Yoon said, "Peace is something that is given to us when we are always preparing for war," and emphasized, "There is no such thing as free peace."
He continued, "The ROK-U.S. alliance is considered the most successful alliance in the history of mankind," and added, "I hope that through this training, the ROK and U.S. soldiers will build deep friendships and be armed with strong comradeship in battle."
When President Yoon visited the Firepower Warfare Headquarters, he said, "In the early stages of a war, it is most important to control long-range artillery and missile bases," and called for overwhelming firepower.
On that day, President Yoon's inspection included military commanders General Paul LaCamera, commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, General Kang Shin-cheol, deputy commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, and General Christopher LaNeve.
The commander of the U.S. 8th Army was in attendance, along with National Security Advisor and Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Deputy National Security Advisor In Seong-hwan, and Secretary for Defense Choi Byung-ok from the Presidential Office.
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