Tough task
WORLD: Invading North Korea to overthrow Kim Jong Un would be ‘‘like trying to get rid of Allah’’ in Iraq rather than Saddam Hussein, says retired South Korean general.
SOUTH KOREA: Invading North Korea to try to overthrow Kim Jong-un would be ‘‘like trying to get rid of Allah’’ in Iraq rather than Saddam Hussein, such is the religious fervour with which his people would defend him, a retired South Korean general has warned.
The former deputy commander of South Korea’s army, In-bum Chun, told an audience at the Policy Exchange think tank in London yesterday that although a military option to deal with the North did exist, it should be the last option. ‘‘It’s like having to pull out all of your teeth and putting them back in again,’’ he said.
The first dialogue in two years between the Koreas is continuing, amid the ever-present threat of war. North Korea insists that its nuclear arsenal is not up for discussion, and the United States has dispatched three B2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam.
Relations between North Korea and the international community have deteriorated significantly in the past year, exacerbated by frequent missile tests by the rogue regime and threats of military action from US President Donald Trump.
Chun, who retired 18 months ago after 40 years in the South Korean military, painted a daunting picture of a heavily militarised North Korea where even children undergo military training and every citizen is ready to do battle. ‘‘The entire country is a barracks,’’ the former lieutenantgeneral said.
‘‘I try to explain to America that if we have to go into North Korea, it’s not going to be like Iraq or Afghanistan. It’s not like trying to get rid of Hussein. It’s more like trying to get rid of Allah. Kim Jong-un and the Kim family is like a cult.’’
North Korea undertook a massive overhaul of its defences after the Korean War. Much of the arsenal built up after 1953 is now obsolete but could be still be used to devastating effect by committed fighters. Chun predicted that 1000 Soviet-era fighter jets might be redeployed as kamikaze aircraft laden with fuel and bombs.
Military training is compulsory for all North Korean citizens. ‘‘A 14-year-old child in North Korea probably gets more than 100 hours of military training a year,’’ Chun said. ‘‘By age 14, a child knows how to fire an AK47, fire an RPG, throw a grenade, pitch a tent and march 24 hours.’’
The regime enforces universal conscription, with men serving for 11 years and women six or seven years. The standing army of one million is almost one-third female.
Chun, who has interviewed many North Korean soldiers who defected, described staggering levels of indoctrination. ‘‘These are soldiers who have defected and yet there’s this inner belief in their own system that is ridiculous.’’
Pyongyang possessed up to 5000 tonnes of chemical and biological agents as well as 1000 artillery pieces trained on Seoul alone, he said. North Korea’s military facilities are mostly underground, complicating any effort to neutralise its nuclear capabilities.
The North’s cyberwar capabilities were considerable, Chun said, thanks to a programme in which children displaying an aptitude for computers were selected at the age of 12 or 13 and trained as programmers or hackers.
Trump’s unpredictable behaviour had ‘‘put [North Korea] a little bit off balance’’, he said.
‘‘If they want to broker a deal with the Americans they need to do it now. This window is closing really, really soon.’’ – The Times