A lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party on Tuesday blasted President Lee Jae Myung over his comments regarding Iran, accusing him of being "subservient" to Iran.
The lawmaker referred to remarks Lee made about the HMM Namu during a news conference at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. The cargo ship was found to have been hit by an Iranian missile while stranded near the Strait of Hormuz in May.
Rep. Han Ki-ho, a four-term lawmaker of the People Power Party, called Lee's comments deceptive, referring in particular to the president's remark that "(the missile attack) did not carry any intention" and that the cargo ship had experienced "limited damage."
"(Lee) is deceiving the South Korean public by proactively defending the stance of Iran, which carried out a (military) provocation (against us)," Han said in a press briefing at the National Assembly.
"A South Korean president should be a guardian for South Korean people, not a defender of a country that attacked us."
Lee had failed at diplomacy and instead engaged in "a subservient act in a way that neglects South Korean people's lives and safety," Han said, adding South Korea's response was unlike those of India, Thailand and France.
"Over the past month that followed the incident, the administration has failed to condemn Iran's attack, and Lee's remarks are nothing but cowardly excuses that defend the aggressor nation, downplay the danger of missiles, and attempt to minimize and cover up the situation," Han said.
Han is a member of the National Defense Committee at the National Assembly. He formerly chaired the committee from 2022 to 2024.
Given that there is an extremely low chance of two missiles mistakenly striking the same cargo ship, Iran's denial of any involvement in the missile attack is nonsense, Han said, adding Iran has a history of deploying a deceptive tactic of launching an attack and denying it.
"The president is being fooled by Iran's frequent deceptive tactics used to avert international sanctions and retaliatory acts after its provocation and a denial of it," Han said.
The Panama-flagged HMM Namu, operated by a South Korean firm, was hit and caught fire, but did not sink, while in the Persian Gulf in early May.
After weeks of investigation, South Korean authorities concluded in late May that an Iranian-made anti-ship missile had hit the vessel and caused the explosion, only to prompt Iranian authorities' denial of any involvement in the incident.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
