Ahn Cheol-soo: "President Moon's Excessive Obsession with North Korea Is Stalking... Calls for a National Address"

"Seems Like North Korea Comes Before Our People"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, stated on the 11th regarding the shooting incident of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official by North Korea, “Looking at President Moon Jae-in’s actions, it clearly seems that North Korea is prioritized over our people,” and urged, “From the time the incident occurred, there have been suspicious actions that need to be explained, along with a national address on how this issue will be resolved going forward and how the lives and safety of our people will be protected.”

On the same day on Facebook, Ahn said, “While I sympathize with efforts to improve relations and promote reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea, we must not deviate from the universal norms and standards of the international community,” adding, “Unrequited love, when excessive, becomes obsession, and obsession, when excessive, becomes stalking. No one likes a stalker, and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, would be no different.”

He questioned, “Does the president intend to ultimately ignore the tragic death of our citizen? Is the Republic of Korea currently fulfilling the responsibilities and roles of the state? Isn’t this a clear dereliction of duty by the government?” He pointed out, “There has been a report that the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the maritime area is considering requesting official data related to the incident from both North and South Korea. This is truly shameful.”

He continued, “The government is so overwhelmed and cautious about North Korea’s phone notification full of lies that it does not even request a fact-finding investigation from the international community, which is why such incidents occur,” calling it “an international embarrassment.”

Ahn emphasized, “Moreover, seeing the government bizarrely trying to cover up North Korea’s atrocities by framing the victim as having defected to the North, it makes one question which country this government belongs to. Whether it was defection or accidental drifting is not the essence of the issue. The essence of this incident is the ‘horrific killing’ of a South Korean official who was interrogated for six hours in the dark and freezing sea, then shot and burned.”

Ahn stated, “The government is just waiting for time to pass as if it has done everything by only requesting a joint investigation with North Korea. President Moon keeps calling for a declaration to end the war to the international community as if in a monologue, even belittling North Korea. I am outraged because there is no sign of anger or urgency in this government’s attitude toward the tragic death of our citizen.”

He added, “This incident must never be overlooked. The truth must be uncovered, and if there were problems in the government’s response process as well as with the perpetrators in North Korea, strict accountability and punishment must follow. In this national audit, related standing committees such as Foreign Affairs and Unification, Defense, and Intelligence must uncover the truth, and if the government and ruling party continue to conceal and cover up the truth, the UN Security Council’s call for investigation and a national audit must be pursued to ensure the truth is revealed.”

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