Kim Tae-nyeon "There Are Lines That Must Be Kept... North Korea Will Gain Nothing"

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th and delivering a speech. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly condemned "North Korea's act of blowing up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office," emphasizing that "the North gains nothing from this."

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 17th, Floor Leader Kim said, "The Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office is a de facto diplomatic mission established according to the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration. Nevertheless, it was unilaterally blown up," adding, "The Democratic Party strongly condemns North Korea's provocative act that breaks the inter-Korean agreement between leaders and escalates peace on the Korean Peninsula."

He continued, "There is a limit that must be observed even when increasing pressure on the South," emphasizing, "North Korea's provocative acts make the already complex situation on the Korean Peninsula even more difficult, and the North gains nothing from this."

He also said, "I hope the government will swiftly and calmly implement measures to protect the lives and safety of the people," adding, "The National Assembly must also fulfill its necessary role. Our party will watch the situation more keenly than ever and respond accordingly."

Regarding the difficulties in negotiating standing committee chairmanships with the United Future Party, Floor Leader Kim said, "Internally, we face the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and externally, the security crisis caused by North Korean provocations overlaps," adding, "We expect the United Future Party to put aside party interests when the community faces a crisis." He further appealed, "The door to normalizing the National Assembly remains open until the 19th. I urge the United Future Party to make a decision."

He added, "Standing committee activities began yesterday. The Democratic Party will make thorough preparations to ensure that legislative tasks to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and supplementary budget reviews are not delayed in each standing committee."

Meanwhile, Democratic Party spokesperson Song Gap-seok responded to a question after the meeting about whether the party will continue to push for the National Assembly's ratification of the Panmunjom Declaration and the proposal for a declaration to end the war, saying, "Basically, our position is to continue doing what we must do."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.