"Election Season Color Politics" vs "Government Must Reveal Truth" Intensified Ruling and Opposition Clash Over 'North Korea Nuclear Power Plant Suspicion'

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Political disputes are intensifying over the alleged document regarding North Korea's nuclear power plant construction. Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, described it as an 'act of treason,' while the Democratic Party of Korea countered by calling it a 'colorism that resurfaces every election season.' The People Power Party is launching a full-scale offensive, demanding a state audit and a special prosecutor investigation.

Shin Young-dae, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, issued a statement on the 31st of last month, saying, "Na Kyung-won and Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayoral candidates, have joined Kim Jong-in's outrageous scenario of a 'top-secret North Korean nuclear power plant construction,'" and expressed "deep regret over the ruling of the first opposition party that has lost its sense of reality."

He criticized, "The People Power Party's imagination that the current government secretly planned to build nuclear power plants in North Korea based on documents found on a public official's computer is laughable," adding, "The public will not forgive the colorism and North wind political tactics that flare up every election season."

He further rebutted, "The idea of constructing a North Korean nuclear power plant was first mentioned in 2010 during former President Lee Myung-bak's administration by Cheon Young-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade," and "Most of the documents said to have been shredded to obstruct the audit on the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 were produced during former President Park Geun-hye's administration."

This controversy arose after the list of 530 files deleted by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials, who were indicted on charges of obstructing the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit related to the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1, was made public. According to the prosecution, the deleted files included numerous documents related to 'North Korean nuclear power plant construction and inter-Korean energy cooperation.'

The documents were created between May 2 and 15, 2018, shortly after the April 27 Panmunjom inter-Korean summit, just before the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power board meeting that decided on the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1.

In response, the People Power Party raised suspicions that while the government was closing domestic nuclear power plants due to its nuclear phase-out policy, it was secretly planning to build nuclear power plants in North Korea.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th of last month, delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The People Power Party launched a full-scale offensive against the government, demanding a state audit. On the afternoon of the 31st, Chairman Kim presided over an 'Emergency Countermeasure Meeting on the North Korean Nuclear Power Plant Allegations' at the National Assembly, stating, "This is a matter that is shocking in itself," and "If the government does not reveal the truth, a state audit at the National Assembly level will be inevitable."

Chairman Kim continued, "The Blue House is showing a very abnormal and irrational reaction to the first opposition party's demand to raise reasonable suspicion and reveal the substantive truth," and urged, "Please immediately disclose under whose orders this was pursued."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook the same day, "If completely dismantling our nuclear capabilities while supporting North Korea's nuclear power plants is not an act of treason, then what is?" He criticized, "Is this why Minister Chu Mi-ae led the charge to oust Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who was digging into the nuclear power plant economic feasibility manipulation case?"

He added, "The public is anxious about what kind of 'dance' President Moon Jae-in will perform with Kim Jong-un at the end of his term," and demanded, "We want a detailed explanation from the President."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy dismissed the Democratic Party faction's claim that the internal documents related to the North Korean nuclear power plant construction were materials reviewed since the Park Geun-hye administration as groundless.

Shin Hee-dong, spokesperson for the Ministry, said at a briefing on the 31st that the related documents "were not created since the Park Geun-hye administration," and "Since this is an ongoing trial, it is difficult to comment on the reasons for deletion, etc."

However, the spokesperson expressed regret over the deletion of the documents regardless of the reasons, stating, "There was no involvement at the ministry level, and we believe the truth will be revealed through investigation and trial."

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