Ho Ryung Lee, Director of the Center for Security and Strategy at KIDA, explains that North Korea’s recent military actions are aimed at delineating the inter-Korean border, rather than introducing territorial amendments or removing “unification” from the constitution, as previously suggested. Lee assesses that such decision is an effort to reinforce the border while aligning with the Party's pursuit of strong national defense. Noting that Kim Jong Un's claim of a potential destruction of the "balance of strategic power" is based on his misjudgment that such balance can be measured, she argues that the credibility of deterring DPRK remains strong, and the risk of disrupting strategic stability on the Korean Peninsula is low. In this context, Lee advises South Korea to maintain strong defense readiness while offering North Korea the flexibility to pursue an exit strategy, thereby reducing the risk of miscalculation.
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