The South Korean military strongly denied accusations that it engaged in psychological warfare operations to induce a conflict with North Korea, calling such claims “inconceivable” amid increased scrutiny of the Yoon administration’s security policies in the wake of last month’s short-lived martial law.

“Any suggestion that our military conducted operations to deliberately provoke North Korean aggression is completely false,” ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said during a regular defense ministry briefing on Thursday. 

Lee referenced the military’s response to the DPRK’s demolition of inter-Korean road connections on Oct. 15as evidence of South Korea’s restraint.