Lee Jae-myung: "Redeployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons on the Korean Peninsula?… People Power Party's Irresponsibility at Its Peak"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, urged the People Power Party presidential candidates Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Ahn Sang-soo, who all simultaneously called for the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, to "clearly state whether the People Power Party is a peace force or a war force."

On the 28th, in a Facebook post titled "Tactical Nuclear Redeployment, Nuclear Sharing... Dangerous Security Populism of People Power Party Candidates," Lee said, "Candidates Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Ahn Sang-soo, tactical nuclear redeployment and nuclear sharing? Such a dangerous claim," and criticized, "No matter how much it is an election, it is a reckless populism that exploits the security situation to gain votes."

He continued, "It is neither desirable nor realistically possible," and pointed out, "This not only nullifies the efforts for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that have been steadily pursued since the Roh Tae-woo administration but also causes us to lose the grounds to demand denuclearization from North Korea."

He also said, "The redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula would provoke strong opposition from neighboring countries and cause serious diplomatic friction," adding, "The United States will not accept this either, and especially unlike the Trump administration, the Biden administration, which pursues a nuclear non-proliferation policy, will certainly not respond favorably."

Furthermore, he stated, "The United States currently deploys about 480 gravity bombs of the B-61 series for fighter jets on the mainland and Europe, and the tactical nuclear weapons deployed on the Korean Peninsula, which numbered 950 in 1991, have all been withdrawn and dismantled," adding, "To redeploy tactical nuclear weapons or engage in nuclear sharing on the Korean Peninsula, they would have to be manufactured again."

Lee expressed surprise, saying, "I was really shocked that the People Power Party presidential candidates are casually presenting such policies in this situation," and directly criticized, "Exploiting the security situation on the Korean Peninsula to amplify public anxiety and riding on hostile confrontation sentiments to make unrealistic pledges is reckless and irresponsible."

He added, "Such actions are typical populism," emphasizing, "The People Power Party must clearly state whether it is a peace force or a war force on the Korean Peninsula, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has been a consistent position maintained by conservative administrations including Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye."

Finally, Lee said, "We cannot abandon this and turn the Korean Peninsula into a stage for an arms race again," advising, "The People Power Party should stop misleading the public and instead of merely claiming to conduct confident nuclear negotiations, they should present practical alternatives that can resume and advance denuclearization negotiations on the Korean Peninsula."

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