Park Jin's Criticism of "North Korea-Biased Thinking"... Lee In-young Calls It "Insulting"

Minister of Unification Lee In-young is attending the government-wide questioning session on diplomacy, unification, and security held at the National Assembly plenary session on the 15th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Minister of Unification Lee In-young rebutted the criticism from Park Jin, a member of the People Power Party, who accused him of having a North Korea-biased mindset, calling it "insulting" and stating, "We are not pursuing a submissive policy toward North Korea."

On the 15th, during a National Assembly interpellation session, Minister Lee said, "I did not only say that 'the ROK-US alliance is a Cold War alliance.'"

Earlier, Minister Lee referred to the ROK-US alliance as a "Cold War alliance" during a visit to the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), which prompted an unusual rebuttal from the U.S. State Department.

Minister Lee explained, "At that NCCK meeting, there was a statement expressing hope that the alliance would move beyond a Cold War military alliance to a peace alliance. I took that to mean that the ROK-US alliance could transition from a military alliance, a Cold War alliance, to a peace alliance," adding, "It does not end there; the ROK-US alliance also embodies a value alliance based on democracy and market economy, so I also mentioned that at some point it could advance into a peace alliance."

In response, Park criticized, "The ROK-US alliance is already a global strategic alliance," and snapped, "How can you promote such a North Korea-biased mindset?" to which Minister Lee replied, "That is insulting."

When Park pointed out Minister Lee's remark that "we must call for peace even if bombs fall," Minister Lee responded, "It is true that I said it is more just to call for peace in the midst of a war where bombs are falling, but surely no one thinks that I would just pray and call for peace if a war breaks out," adding, "It was a paradoxical emphasis on peace."

When Park remarked, "Is becoming nuclear hostages true peace?" and said, "That is the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Minister Lee retorted, "Are you saying we are being held as nuclear hostages?"

Finally, when Park demanded a balanced inter-Korean relationship, Minister Lee stated, "At least, I want to make it clear that we are not pursuing a submissive policy."

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