Lee Nak-yeon, on Opposition's 'North Korean Nuclear Plant' Attack: "The Idea Itself Is Unrealistic"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the opposition parties, including the People Power Party, for their attacks over the controversy surrounding the ‘North Korean nuclear power plant,’ calling the very idea “unrealistic.”

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 1st, Lee said, “The opposition’s idea that a North Korean nuclear power plant could be secretly constructed is itself unrealistic. The opposition’s issue-raising has been a ‘fake issue’ and an ‘imaginary issue’ from the start.”

He emphasized that “the North Korean nuclear power plant project appeared in the 1994 North Korea-U.S. Geneva Agreed Framework as an international community compensation measure for North Korea’s denuclearization,” adding, “Accordingly, during the Kim Young-sam administration, a U.S.-led project began and progressed up to 30% completion but was abandoned. It was also mentioned during the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations,” highlighting that it was an issue discussed even in previous governments.

He continued, “Given that U.S. and U.N. sanctions against North Korea are still in place, it is impossible to secretly support a North Korean nuclear power plant,” and criticized, “I want to ask if they consider the actions of Kim Young-sam, who promoted the North Korean nuclear power plant project in the past, and the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, which mentioned it, as acts of treason.”

He then pointed out, “The opposition parties continue to repeat old and low-level politics that bring up colorism whenever elections approach,” and added, “They are engaging in dangerous politics that disregard national interests and harm to public safety just to shake the government.”

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