Yoon Seok-yeol "Must Preemptively Strike North Korea" vs. Ruling Party "Ethnic War"... Interparty Debate on North Korea Policy

Lee Jae-myung "The Public is Anxious"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate (left), and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, stated that the public seems to be uneasy about Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate's claim of a 'preemptive strike against North Korea.' Yoon Ho-jung, the Democratic Party floor leader, also criticized him as a 'belligerent leader.'

On the 11th, after presenting the first policy proposal of the 'Digital and Innovation Great Transformation Committee' held at the Korea Federation of SMEs, Lee told reporters that he felt the public was uneasy in response to Yoon's question about a preemptive strike on North Korea.

Earlier that day, at a New Year's press conference, Yoon responded to a foreign journalist's question, "North Korea fired missiles again this morning, and the threat continues. Do you have plans to prevent this?" by saying, "If a missile traveling at Mach 5 or higher is launched from North Korea and is equipped with a nuclear warhead, it takes less than one minute to reach the Seoul metropolitan area and cause mass destruction. Interception is practically impossible."

He added, "Then, when signs appear, the only way to stop it is a preemptive strike called the Kill-Chain, which is at the forefront of the three-axis system."

Yoon criticized, "I see North Korea's goodwill as a 'peace show'... This government is too immersed in that and even says that UN nuclear sanctions against North Korea should be lifted preemptively."

He also pointed out, "I saw an article that President Moon Jae-in asked the French president, a UN Security Council member, to lift economic sanctions on North Korea by emphasizing North Korea's goodwill. Meanwhile, North Korea has further advanced its missile capabilities."

Regarding these remarks, Yoon Ho-jung said, "I cannot help but be surprised at such a seriously flawed perception," adding, "He is truly a belligerent leader; no presidential candidate has ever openly talked about military action like this."

He further criticized, "A preemptive strike immediately leads to war. Yoon previously received public criticism for his outrageous remarks that 'there should be no declaration of the end of the war and that the state of war on the Korean Peninsula should be maintained,' and now he is talking about peace through war tactics by advocating a preemptive attack."

He added, "If he truly loves the Republic of Korea and does not want to cause public anxiety, he should withdraw his remarks that lead our 70 million people to war."

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