A senior conservative lawmaker on Friday criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration’s North Korea policy, arguing it emboldens Pyongyang and calling for the immediate removal of the unification minister.
Rep. Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, said the government’s approach is "fueling Kim Jong-un’s arrogance" and undermining South Korea’s security posture.
In a post on social media, Song accused the administration of escalating tensions with the United Nations Command and failing to uphold human rights principles.
"The Lee Jae Myung government’s dismantling of security — telling soldiers to carry batons instead of guns, scaling back South Korea-US joint exercises and clashing with the UN Command over access to the Demilitarized Zone — is only increasing Kim Jong-un’s arrogance," Song wrote.
He noted that 24 years have passed since the second Battle of Yeonpyeong and 16 years since the sinking of the Cheonan warship and shelling of the island Yeonpyeongdo, but North Korea’s leadership has never issued an apology.
"Yet the Lee government is now even considering not joining as a co-sponsor of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on North Korea," he said.
Song also criticized Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, saying the minister expressed opposition a day earlier -- the 16th anniversary of the Cheonan sinking -- to South Korea’s co-sponsoring of the UN resolution on North Korean human rights.
"This is not even worth considering," Song said. "North Korea has never apologized for the Cheonan attack, but are we now supposed to ignore the horrific human rights conditions of North Korean residents simply to avoid offending Kim Jong-un?"
He further took issue with Chung’s use of the term "Han-Cho relations," a phrase used by North Korea with hostile connotations, saying the minister’s remarks disregarded national dignity and the sacrifices of fallen service members. "Cho" refers to "Choson," the term North Korea uses to refer to itself, while "Han" refers to South Korea.
"Minister Jeong Dong-young must be dismissed immediately for trampling on the pride of the Republic of Korea and causing pain to the families of those who defended the West Sea," Song said, using the formal name of South Korea.
Song warned that if the president does not remove the minister and continues what he described as a pro-North Korea stance, it would amount to "nothing more than a deceptive slogan," contradicting the administration’s claim of pursuing a centrist-conservative line.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
