Plan to cope with fall of North divulged
Published: 04 Oct. 2004, 22:30
An opposition lawmaker disclosed details yesterday of South Korean plans for coping with the possible collapse of the North Korean regime and for handling a mass defection from the communist state, including a contingency for dealing with insurrection.
The plans, revealed by Grand National Party Representative Chung Moon-hun at a National Assembly hearing, are the first significant look at the government’s readiness in case the leaders in Pyeongyang lose control over their country and the South is forced to step in.
Mr. Chung’s office said the details have been kept classified, but the Unification Ministry, seeking to assure the public, provided selective details. Under the plan, code-named “Chungmu 9000,” South Korea will establish an emergency administrative headquarters in the North, which will work to liberalize the economy and society. South Korea’s unification minister will head the agency with powers greater than a governor.
Unification Ministry staff will be deployed to operate the organization, and officials from other ministries will follow to take systemic authority in the North.
Another plan, called “Chungmu 3300,” details Seoul’s preparation for any mass defection and includes contingencies for a possible civil war. The program’s top priority is withdrawing South Koreans who are in the North at the time of any emergency. Operations would be launched to pull South Korean manpower out of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and tourists out of the Mount Geumgang resort.
According to the plan, Seoul has already designated public facilities in the South, such as schools and stadiums, to house defectors who are expected to rush south in the event the North loses its grip on the population. The facilities are capable of accommodating 200,000 defectors, the plan said.
Separately, the military has already established 10 refugee camps near the inter-Korean border under the supervision of the Army and Navy. The Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up the plan in 1993 and have been conducting exercises to prepare for mass defection since then, Mr. Chung said.
“Soon, the number of North Korean defectors here will exceed 10,000,” Mr. Chung said. “It is time to come up with a better plan or reinforce the existing Chungmu 3300.”
by Lee Young-jong
The plans, revealed by Grand National Party Representative Chung Moon-hun at a National Assembly hearing, are the first significant look at the government’s readiness in case the leaders in Pyeongyang lose control over their country and the South is forced to step in.
Mr. Chung’s office said the details have been kept classified, but the Unification Ministry, seeking to assure the public, provided selective details. Under the plan, code-named “Chungmu 9000,” South Korea will establish an emergency administrative headquarters in the North, which will work to liberalize the economy and society. South Korea’s unification minister will head the agency with powers greater than a governor.
Unification Ministry staff will be deployed to operate the organization, and officials from other ministries will follow to take systemic authority in the North.
Another plan, called “Chungmu 3300,” details Seoul’s preparation for any mass defection and includes contingencies for a possible civil war. The program’s top priority is withdrawing South Koreans who are in the North at the time of any emergency. Operations would be launched to pull South Korean manpower out of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and tourists out of the Mount Geumgang resort.
According to the plan, Seoul has already designated public facilities in the South, such as schools and stadiums, to house defectors who are expected to rush south in the event the North loses its grip on the population. The facilities are capable of accommodating 200,000 defectors, the plan said.
Separately, the military has already established 10 refugee camps near the inter-Korean border under the supervision of the Army and Navy. The Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up the plan in 1993 and have been conducting exercises to prepare for mass defection since then, Mr. Chung said.
“Soon, the number of North Korean defectors here will exceed 10,000,” Mr. Chung said. “It is time to come up with a better plan or reinforce the existing Chungmu 3300.”
by Lee Young-jong
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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