the event through a statement by the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, citing political reasons. The dual-track tactics of provocation and dialogue continued in 2014. In his New Year’s Address, Kim Jong-un spoke of the need to create the mood for improving inter-Korean relations, and the National Defense Commission released a “Critical Proposal to the South,”25) in an all-out peace offensive. However, during the family reunions at Geumgangsan Mountain between February 20 and February 25, North Korea fired rockets and ballistic missiles. In March and April, remains of small UAVs, presumed to have been made in North Korea, were discovered in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, Paengnyeongdo Island, and Samcheok, Gangwon-do. On March 31 and April 29, North Korea fired massive artillery rounds near the Northern Limit Line (NLL)26) and on May 22, fired at the ROK navy vessels on patrol in the West Sea. On October 4, Hwang Pyong-so, the chief of the General Political Bureau, Choi Ryong-hae, and Kim Yang-gon, three top leaders of the North Korean regime attended the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Incheon and agreed to resume high-level meetings between the two Koreas. However, on October 7, only three days after this agreement, the North initiated a skirmish near the NLL in the West Sea, and on October 10, the North Korean military fired at the balloons launched by a ROK civilian organization. Using this incident as a pretext, Pyongyang requested an emergency meeting, and an inter-Korean meeting between the military authorities was held on October 15. North Korea raised issues such as the prevention of maritime conflicts in the West Sea and the launching of propaganda leaflet balloons by civilian groups. The ROK officials demanded that the North respect the NLL and acknowledge its responsibility in the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo Island while proposing to set up a hotline between the two militaries. The meeting ended without result, with the North Korean side claiming that Seoul rejected its proposals. In 2015, North Korea continued its provocations all the while engaging in a deceptive charm offensive by professing the desire to improve inter-Korean relations in its New Year’s Address and in a statement by the National Defense Commission. Starting in February, North Korea launched short-range missiles and in May, conducted an SLBM ejection test. On August 4, North Korea’s provocation using a wooden-box land mine broke out in the DMZ,27) and on August 20, the North Korean military carried out artillery provocations, ratcheting up 25) the proposal includes suspension of mutual criticism and hostile military actions, and denuclearization. 26) the Northern Limit Line is the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, which has been in effect since its establishment on august 30, 1953. the waters south of the NLL are under the rOK jurisdiction. 27) Demilitarized Zone. Section 3 North Korean Situation and Military threats 23 Chapter 1 21, just four days before the scheduled date of the reunion, North Korea abruptly cancelled