South Korean Military Unveils New Deterrence Strategy

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) recently disclosed that it is devising a new concept of operation known as “Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation” (KMPR).

The new strategy appears to be the MND’s effort to respond to the increasing number of missile and nuclear tests that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has conducted since he took power in December 2012. Lim Ho-yeong, the chief of strategy and planning for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), first introduced the KMPR concept during a regular press briefing following North Korea’s fifth nuclear test on September 9.

The South Korean military plans to utilize KMPR to complement the “Kill Chain” and “Korean Air Missile Defense” strategies in order to create a three-layer defensive strategy against North Korean attacks. Defense Minister Han Min-koo also acknowledged the new strategy during a National Assembly interpellation session on September 21. “The concept of the KMPR is to launch precision strikes to key facilities within North Korea as retaliation, if it becomes evident that North Korea intends to use nuclear missiles,” explained Minister Han, adding that KMPR also incorporates commandos to execute the mission.

For a time, the South Korean public understood the Ministry’s new contingency plan as a strategy to launch preemptive strikes. An anonymous source at the JCS also affirmed that KMPR entails preemptive strikes that will be implemented if signs of an imminent nuclear attack are confirmed.

During the National Assembly Inspection of Government Administrations, however, Chairman of the JCS, General Lee Sun-jin, denied that KMPR incorporates preemptive strikes in its strategy.

“The concept of operation is about our military launching retaliations against North Korean leadership and facilities if North Korea launches a nuclear attack on South Korea first,” said General Lee.

The contradicting statements from the respective heads of MND and JCS invited criticism from lawmakers, questioning the feasibility and reliability of KMPR. Lawmakers also previously raised doubts about the South Korean military’s ability to independently detect missiles before they are launched when the U.S. agreed to deploy its latest ballistic missile defense system to South Korea this summer.

South Korea’s plan to detect imminent attacks from North Korea is not new. The U.S. and South Korean militaries have constantly deployed intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance assets to ensure that they are updated with the latest developments from the North Korean military. The U.S. has deployed six early-warning radars and two reconnaissance satellites above the Korean peninsula, while South Korea operates its own radars on the ground, augmented by the U.S., Korean, and Japanese naval fleets in nearby waters.