South Korea Says ‘Hamas-style’ Surprise Attack On U.S. Is Possible

(ConservativeInsider.org) – Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, recently warned the American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that both the United States and Korea need to be ready for a potential attack from North Korea “Hamas-style.”

Military officials from South Korea have speculated about the possibility of North Korea using tactics akin to that of Hamas in order to take hostages from border areas with the notoriously recluse nation. They noted that the surveillance system along the border between Israel and Hamas was defeated and failures of the Israeli intelligence community led to the surprise attack. In response, the United States ran joint military drills alongside South Korea that focused on detecting and responding to surprise attacks. According to South Korean military officials, the military drills involved over 5,000 soldiers from both the U.S. and South Korea, 1,000 vehicles and planes, as well as 300 artillery systems.

There has been discussion among South Korean officials of suspending an agreement made in 2018 between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, the former president of South Korea, that created no fly zones between the nations, arguing that a suspension of the agreement would allow for better surveillance capabilities. Defense Secretary Austin has agreed to work with Shin Won-sik, the South Korean National Defense Minister, on potentially suspending the 2018 agreement.

During security talks between South Korea and the U.S., both countries agreed to update security agreements so as to respond better to threats from North Korea. There have also been talks of working to improve real-time sharing of information on missile threats between South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.

Intelligence officials believe that North Korea has carried out over 100 missile tests in the last year, with some of them being simulated nuclear attacks on the U.S. This has led both the South Korean and American militaries to expand their military drills to stay prepared.

At a recent ceremony honoring veterans at the War Memorial in Korea, Secretary Austin expressed how “impressive” it is to see troops from both countries working together.