Joo Ho-young to President Moon: "Pleading to live well together cannot be a North Korea policy"

"Continuing to Avoid the North Korea Human Rights Resolution Is Not the Right Choice"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, expressed concern on the 26th that President Moon Jae-in's statement at the 70th anniversary event of the Korean War, saying "We have no intention of imposing our system on North Korea. We seek peace and want to live well together," might indicate that "President Moon has lost his way after engaging with North Korean authorities such as Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, and Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, over the past three years, and that he may have sent the wrong signals causing Chairman Kim to lose his way."

On the same day, Floor Leader Joo said on Facebook, "President Moon's speech keeps lingering in my mind," adding, "This is not to say we should deliberately provoke North Korea."

He continued, "Former President Kim Dae-jung said, 'Does having nuclear weapons bring rice or fertilizer? They must be abandoned. If North Korea becomes a nuclear state, I will take responsibility.' Although his prediction that the North Korean regime would have no choice but to give up nuclear weapons for rice, fertilizer, and the people's livelihood was off the mark, former President Kim never gave up on the message to 'abandon nuclear weapons,'" he emphasized.

Floor Leader Joo stated, "The peace we pursue can only be realized based on a market economy and liberal democracy. It cannot coexist with political prison camps and a dictatorship that mercilessly kills uncles and brothers," adding, "What we want is not the peace of a graveyard. South Korea's North Korea policy cannot be to plead to live well together out of fear of war or threats backed by nuclear weapons."

He further said, "Our system, liberal democracy and market economy, is the universal trend of world history. Chairman Kim must also get on this trend to improve the lives of his people," and added, "The President of South Korea must strongly point this out. Continuously withdrawing from the adoption of the UN resolution on North Korean human rights is not the right choice."

Floor Leader Joo remarked, "What is missing from President Moon and this government's security team is a clear direction for unification," and said, "These people do not tell Chairman Kim where he should go. They have never clearly told him to give up nuclear weapons."

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