Project Sword
Since the New Year of 2024, the rumbling of artillery is pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war. According to information released by the South Korean Joint Staff Headquarters, the North Korean army fired coastal artillery fire north of Yeonpyeong Island on January 6, violating the "919 Military Agreement" signed between the two Koreas. All of a sudden, there was a lot of noise on the peninsula, and the South Korean side quickly responded in reciprocity and publicly announced that there would no longer be a military buffer zone between the two Koreas. All of a sudden, relations between the two countries suddenly became tense, and the pace of war was getting closer and closer. At a critical moment, China's appearance and statement will most likely affect the future situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Objectively speaking, South Korea and the West blame the DPRK for the war crisis on the Korean Peninsula, which is completely a manifestation of the double-standard policy. Because from the beginning to the end, it was the United States and South Korea that added fuel to the fire on the Korean Peninsula. In the case of the shelling dispute, North Korea's move is entirely a response to the provocation of the South Korean side. Because on the first day of the beginning of 2024, Kim Myung-so, the No. 1 mission of the South Korean side, went to the front line to talk to the combat troops, which has the flavor of pre-war training, which is undoubtedly a naked military provocation, combined with a series of military exercises held by the United States and South Korea, as well as the sensitive military deployment of the US military on the peninsula, North Korea has been forced into a desperate situation, and naturally cannot sit still.
Interestingly, just after South Korea's strong response, North Korea gave another explanation for the incident. According to a report by the China News Agency citing the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea did not launch an artillery bombardment that day, but carried out an "artillery simulated deception operation." To put it simply, the North Korean army carried out explosives blasting that day in order to test the reaction of the South Korean army. Perhaps because of the long-term military standoff, the local garrison on Yanping Island did not conduct specific reconnaissance, and judged the sound of explosives ** as the sound of artillery, which caused a series of chain reactions.
The purpose of the North Korean military's explanation is very clear, that is, to show the international community that it is not North Korea that is the first to provoke the war, but South Korea. Judging from the facts, South Korea, which has long been prepared for war, does not care at all about the international attitude. After the incident, the ROK army not only organized artillery training as soon as possible, but also publicly announced that it denied the buffer zone demarcated by the "919 Military Agreement." According to the agreement, the two Koreas have established a "northern limit" in the western and eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula, and designated the surrounding areas 5 kilometers wide as a maritime buffer zone. Since the signing of the agreement, the two sides have not allowed relevant military training in the surrounding area. Since then, without the "tight spell" of the buffer zone, the South Korean side has officially decided to restart routine military exercises.
From the perspective of military strength comparison, once a major war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, its scale and intensity will far exceed the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict or even the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In terms of military strength, the North Korean army is as large as 1.2 million, the South Korean army is 630,000, and there are nearly 40,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, as well as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, which are uncertain whether they will participate in the war. In terms of combat power, both the DPRK and the ROK are military powers in East Asia, and the DPRK has a nuclear power, and the technological superiority of the ROK team is more obvious. In terms of bloc support, South Korea has the support of the United States, the world's number one military power, while North Korea has close ties with Russia, and more importantly, the Korean War that broke out in the 50s of the last century is a reference, and if the war on the peninsula resumes, China will inevitably intervene.
Previously, when the United States and South Korea continued to exert pressure on the DPRK and accelerated the ignition of the war on the peninsula, China has made it clear that it hopes that all parties will be calm and restrained to avoid further escalation of the situation. In our attitude toward the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, we have always adhered to peaceful dialogue and opposed countering violence with violence. In particular, in the context of the hegemonic intervention of the United States on the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese side has made it clear that the use of force will not work on the Korean Peninsula. Whether it is in terms of national sentiment or geopolitics, China and the DPRK are closely related to each other. The stability of the situation on the Korean Peninsula also has a bearing on China's security interests. Therefore, we will never allow the United States to fan the flames and act recklessly. If the United States and South Korea do not heed the advice and touch the red line, China is also confident that it will have the strength to intervene and fight another war to defend the country