South Korea’s Responses to North Korea’s Missile Launch

The March missile launch timing to celebrate Kim Il Sung's centenary birthday is only the start of the cyclical provocations for 2012. As we move into the second half of the year the North may attempt various provocations against the South according to its internal political circumstances. The North will use both violent and non-violent means to attempt to influence the South Korean elections in order to ensure that victory goes to a political group that will meekly acquiesce to whatever the North Korean regime demands.

The ROK responses, based on the concept of integrated approach targeting integrated threats, should be many-fold, largely in close collaboration with the United States. Some responses are purely military and immediately needed, and others are political and diplomatic in nature and need be implemented gradually. But all responses are equally important.