Choi Jae-sung: "If You Demand USB Disclosure, Present an Alternative"... Na Kyung-won: "You Are Distracting from the Main Issue"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the opposition demands the disclosure of the 'Korean Peninsula New Economic Initiative' USB, claiming it contains content related to 'North Korean nuclear power plants,' Choi Jae-sung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, countered by saying, "If you are a political party, present a corresponding plan." In response, former lawmaker and Seoul mayoral candidate Na Kyung-won rebutted, saying, "They are muddying the issue."

On the 3rd, Senior Secretary Choi appeared on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' and said, "They are pushing to disclose this (USB), but if it is disclosed, it will harm the people and the national interest."

He emphasized, "If the person demanding disclosure is not an individual but a political party, they should present a corresponding plan and say, 'We are asking for disclosure with this level of responsibility, so disclose it.' That would be normal." He added, "If it is disclosed and there is not even a single mention of nuclear power plants, the opposition party should apologize and take responsibility themselves, which would be understandable."

He stated that if the opposition demands the USB's disclosure, they should first talk about the responsibility they must bear if the suspicions are cleared. Specifically, he suggested, "At the very least, as a political party, the opposition should offer an apology to the people and propose measures and promises to prevent such incidents from recurring."

He pointed out, "In other countries, conversations or exchanges between heads of state are disclosed only after a certain period and under various conditions," adding, "It is difficult to justify the logic of demanding disclosure of matters between heads of state that occurred while the current president is still in office." Regarding the limited disclosure in the National Assembly, he dismissed it by saying, "Even if disclosed in a restricted space like the National Assembly under security conditions, the disclosed content would be communicated to the public and the media," adding, "Many countries that have diplomatic relations with South Korea would become aware of this, leaving a trace."

Former Future United Party (now People Power Party) lawmaker Na Kyung-won is holding an urgent press conference with anti-nuclear phase-out civic groups on the 31st at the fountain in front of the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul. They pointed out the current administration's double standards on nuclear power as documents revealing the Moon Jae-in government's plan to support North Korean nuclear power were exposed through media reports. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the other hand, former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who appeared on the same radio program, insisted on full disclosure of the USB contents. Na said, "(Senior Secretary Choi) is muddying the issue. Whether or not the USB contains such content is not everything," adding, "It is only right to clearly reveal the part where a Ministry of Industry official deleted about 500 files late at night."

She said, "The USB itself may not contain talks about nuclear power plants, but ultimately, it is about the new economy and new inter-Korean economy, isn't it?" and added, "Since the public is curious about nuclear power plants, it is right to disclose everything."

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