ICHEON — In a significant declaration, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has instructed the nation's special operations forces to develop the capacity to decisively counteract the North Korean leadership in the event of military conflict. This directive was given during a visit to the Army Special Warfare Command located in Icheon, 56 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Shin's remarks came amid the ongoing Freedom Shield joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, aimed at enhancing the deterrence capabilities against potential aggressions from North Korea. The Defense Minister emphasized the importance of the special operations troops' role within the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) strategy, a plan designed to neutralize North Korean leadership swiftly in the event of a conflict.
The KMPR strategy is a critical component of South Korea's "three-axis" defense system, which also encompasses the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike program and the Korea Air and Missile Defense framework. The ongoing drills between South Korean and U.S. forces, which started last Friday, are focused on combined strike maneuvers to sharpen the troops' ability to infiltrate and disrupt key enemy command structures.
During his visit to Command Post TANGO in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, Minister Shin further stressed the significance of the Freedom Shield exercise in preparing the forces to counteract North Korean nuclear and missile threats efficiently. He underscored the necessity of mastering operational tactics to neutralize the North's strategic networks from the outset and advocated for the enhancement of comprehensive operational capabilities to ensure dominance across all battlefronts.
The TANGO bunker complex, central to the command and control operations during wartime, is designed to withstand the impacts of a tactical nuclear strike, highlighting the strategic emphasis placed on readiness and deterrence in the face of ongoing regional tensions.