Page 24 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Section 3 North Korean Situation and

Military Threats

Since the succession of power in 2011, North Korea has strived to gain the upper hand in inter-Korean relations
and engaged in diplomacy in an attempt to end sanctions and isolation caused by its nuclear development.
North Korea had continued its provocations in the forms of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) including
nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, expanding its conventional forces, carrying out armed provocations in
border areas, conducting cyberattacks, infiltrating small-sized drones. From 2018, however, Pyongyang has
endeavored to re-establish its standing in the international community by advocating denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and projecting a peaceful image through improved inter-Korean and foreign relations.

1. North Korean Situation

| Internal Situation | Since the succession of power in 2011, North Korea has maintained the
stability of the regime through reorganization and reshuff ling. The regime is seeking a strategic
change by adopting a new strategic line in 2018 by focusing all ef forts on building a socialist

economy, replacing the 2013 “byungjin” policy of simultaneously developing its economy and
nuclear weapons.
rd
At North Korea’s 3 Conference of Party Representatives on September 28, 2010, the
succession of power was made official. The succession occurred rapidly in accordance to the
supreme leader’s f inal testament on December 17, 2011, and the regime sought stability by
reshuff ling of the party, state, and military leadership. In May 2016, at the 7 Party Congress, the
th
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top decision-making organ of the Korean Workers’ Party was held, followed by the 4 session of
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the 13 Supreme People’s Assembly in June. During this period, the State Affairs Commission
was newly established to replace the National Defense Commission, and the Chairman of the

State Af fairs Commission was announced as the of f icial head of the regime, completing the
institutional and legal governing framework for the regime change.
The new regime focused on the enhancement of nuclear and missile capabilities, and declared

22 Chapter 1 Changes and Challenges in the Security Environment