Kim Jong-in: "North Korea's Independent Denuclearization Is Delusion... Civic Groups Becoming Political Forces"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, criticized the Moon Jae-in administration's North Korea policy as naive, stating, "The idea that we can achieve North Korea's denuclearization by our own power while in a divided state is a delusion." He also cited the 'Yoon Mi-hyang incident' as an example, saying, "Civil society organizations have become politicized and turned into a kind of power institution."

Chairman Kim said at the United Future Party's emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly main building on the morning of the 18th, "The North Korea policy pursued by the Moon administration so far started from a very naive mindset, so it was inevitable to face the current situation."

He added, "It is time to reestablish the inter-Korean issue by learning from past events," and said, "This is not something we can decide entirely on our own. Some people think that since we have become the 10th largest economy and can be independent diplomatically, we can handle inter-Korean issues as we please, but that is different from reality."

He mentioned that the relationship between West Germany and the United States was diplomatically coordinated until German reunification, saying, "Can we achieve what is not accomplished in North Korea-US talks by South Korea's power alone?" and "The Moon administration must abandon its current stance on inter-Korean relations and attempt to establish a new framework for inter-Korean relations."

Referring to the case involving Representative Yoon, Chairman Kim said, "Looking at reality, from the Cho Kuk incident to the recent Yoon Mi-hyang incident, we cannot help but doubt whether civil society organizations have functioned according to their original purpose," and added, "We must make a sober judgment on whether allowing these civil society organizations to collect donations and continue receiving government subsidies can truly achieve justice and fairness in our country."

Regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he also pointed out the need for tuition refunds for university students. He said, "University students have not even been able to attend classrooms and are about to enter summer vacation, so it is only natural for them to ask for tuition refunds since they have not properly attended lectures," and advised, "In the process of preparing the third supplementary budget, clearly set policies regarding university tuition so that universities can maintain stability with confidence."

He also commented on the third supplementary budget and the second disaster relief fund, saying, "The government had no choice but to inject finances, leading to the third supplementary budget," and added, "Now, please make a sober judgment to prevent unnecessary waste of finances."

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