South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered his country’s armed forces to respond to enemy attacks by retaliating first and report later. "In case of provocations, I ask you to immediately retaliate in response and report it later," he said during his visit to a frontline army unit on Thursday.
Yoon added that such a measure was necessary to "smash the enemy's desire for provocations." He specifically pointed to North Korea, claiming that it can undertake provocations at any time and is the only country in the world that reserves the right to a preemptive nuclear strike and invasion under its constitution.
“Well, first of all, I think the South Korean president is much more willing to be a lapdog for the United States,” Koo told Sputnik.
According to him, Yoon believes that siding with the US “is going to ensure his staying in office” and that Washington “will have his back.”
Military action is something that Koo said would never see the light of day even though South Korea is “willing to participate in a proxy war on behalf of the United States.”
As for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, what he “has been saying all along is simply warning South Korea and the US that Pyongyang has the capability of striking back,” per the journalist.
Touching upon the South Korean president’s remarks about the need for Seoul to retaliate first, Koo insisted that “It’s a way of preventing provocations by being provocative," which he warned may have “a very terrible ending.”
Separately, the journalist accused the US of considering China a threat to America’s national security. He praised what he touted as Beijing’s “revolutionary” approach “in terms of how China stands for peace.”
“[China’s] three pillars are based on mutual respect, peaceful, cohesive existence, and mutually benefit developments in relationship," Koo underscored.
Relations between Beijing and Washington remain tense as China accuses the US of trying to militarize the Asia-Pacific, where Washington has repeatedly conducted massive military drills with Seoul. The People's Republic of China (PRC) also pointed the finger at the US over the latter sending weapons to Taiwan, seen by Beijing as an essential part of China.
Although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei and remains the island's biggest supplier of military hardware.
The United States also often sends its warships and surveillance planes to the Taiwan Strait, a move that Beijing condemns as provocative. The Chinese government has lashed out at Washington's actions as simply "a security risk creator in the region."