Our starting point today is North Korea's surprise launch of a ballistic missile of
ICBM range.
Pyongyang fired what it claims is its second intercontinental ballistic missile in the
wee hours of last night... prompting an emergency meeting of South Korea's National Security
Council by the president.
It's the second launch of its kind in less than a month.
Pyongyang's reckless action may have crossed South Korean President Moon Jae-in's "yet-to-be-defined"
redline... as he appears to be shifting away from his policy of engagement with North Korea
and putting more weight on the "pressure" part of his North Korea policy vision.
Our chief Blue House correspondent Moon Connyoung reports.
South Korea made the first move... offering dialogue with North Korea... not once, not
twice, but three times.
After days of silence, North Korea replied with a missile launch... one that experts
view as having employed "the most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile technology"
to date.
After weeks of trying the new South Korean president's patience, North Korea's Kim Jong-un
has finally hit President Moon's nerve... leading the new liberal government in Seoul
to prioritize tougher action against Pyongyang over diplomatic engagement.
Shifting from his engagement policy toward the North, President Moon Jae-in made crystal
clear that such "bad behavior" by North Korea will be tolerated no more... as he presided
over an emergency meeting of his National Security Council within hours of the missile
launch.
The new commander-in-chief ordered his military to conduct joint ballistic missile tests with
the U.S., deploy the launchers of the U.S. THAAD missile-defense system... currently
tucked away at a U.S. military base, and consult with Washington on...
"South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to open negotiations for the revision of our two countries'
bilateral ballistic missile guidelines.
Shortly after the National Security Council meeting early Saturday morning, President
Moon Jae-in ordered immediate action so that the talks could get underway as soon as possible."
Under an agreement written in 1979 but revised in 2001 and 2012, South Korea is limited in
the capabilities it can pursue with its own missile
program.
The guidelines limit South Korean ballistic missiles with a range of 800 kilometers to
carrying a half-ton payload, but the Moon administration is now seeking to double that
to one ton.
"President Moon Jae-in noted that the latest missile test by North Korea could be a gamechanger...
one that could bring about a "fundamental change" to the security landscape in Northeast
Asia.
Based on this belief, the liberal leader appears to have begun revising his basic framework
for North Korea policy.
Mr. Moon is keeping ALL available options on the table as a possible confirmation of
the North's latest missile as an ICBM could mark a critical point in defining the South
Korean leader's "Red Line."
Moon Connyoung, Arirang News, the Blue House."
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