Hwang Hee: "Concern Over Whether North Korea Will Accept Joint Investigation After Kim Jong-un's 'Sorry' Statement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairman of the Special Committee on Joint Investigation and Prevention of Recurrence of the West Sea Civilian Killing Incident, stated, "There are concerns about whether North Korea will accept a joint investigation between the South and the North." The Democratic Party has expressed the position that a joint investigation between the South and the North should take precedence over the People Power Party's demand for a hearing. Chairman Hwang reaffirmed the party's existing stance on the proposal to allow individual tourism, saying, "It should be pursued separately for peacebuilding."

On the morning of the 5th, Chairman Hwang appeared on YTN Radio and was asked, "Do you think a cooperative joint investigation between both sides can take place?" He replied, "It is absolutely necessary, but there are concerns about whether North Korea will accept it given the possibility that the claims of the North Korean supreme leader could be overturned."

He also said, "From the perspective of the North Korean supreme leader, they have officially apologized, but there are some concerns about whether this part will still be overturned through a joint investigation."

Regarding measures to prevent recurrence, he said, "The manual for joint disaster response in border areas was completely discarded during the Lee Myung-bak administration. We will create such manuals, propose them to the North, and establish a prevention plan through an agreement system based on the principle that civilians must be protected under any circumstances, even in wartime."

He added, "Looking at North Korea recently trying to improve relations with the U.S., it is clear they are eager to integrate into the international community. Also, the current government has plans to guide North Korea to become a human rights-respecting country in the international community."

Regarding the automatic submission of the resolution urging the allowance of individual tourism to North Korea at the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, he said, "It was submitted before this incident. Peace on the Korean Peninsula between the South and the North is for all our people and the nation, so this should be pursued separately as an independent matter."

Regarding People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young's statement at a press briefing the previous day that "Our military intelligence authorities have identified that the North Korean military command ordered the shooting with 7.62mm rifles, and a hearing is necessary for a fact-finding investigation," Chairman Hwang said, "I don't know who he heard that from. It is impossible to verify whether it is true."

He continued, "For the floor leader of a political party to say such things can cause significant harm to national security and the public. I believe it is necessary to first explain who actually heard this and the facts regarding this matter."

Meanwhile, Chairman Hwang responded to the People Power Party's criticism regarding the National Foundation Day rallies, questioning whether 'Myeongbak Fortress' is allowed but 'Jaein Fortress' is not, by saying, "Of course, there is a difference between the two. In the case of Myeongbak Fortress, it concerns imported beef that seriously threatens public life. This is very different because it is about protecting the lives of the people."

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