Daily Times

South Korea has raised its security readiness in response to the escalating crisis in the Middle East, carefully evaluating the potential implications of the recent unprecedented attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office announced on Monday that South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-Yong is currently receiving briefings on the situation and is actively assessing how the Hamas-Israel conflict might affect South Korea’s national security. South Korea voiced its condemnation of Hamas for its assault on Israel and conveyed profound worry regarding civilian casualties.

The swiftly intensifying conflict has heightened South Korea’s apprehensions about a potential change in US priorities towards the Middle East, which could lead to diminished support for deterring North Korea, as suggested by analysts. According to Cho Han-Bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a Seoul-based think tank, he believes that if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues for an extended period and necessitates a substantial US military deployment in the region, the priority of deterring North Korea could potentially diminish for the United States.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, who assumed his position on Saturday, emphasized the importance of complete military preparedness against North Korea during his visit to the Army’s 1st Infantry Division near the inter-Korean border on Monday.