Hong Joon-pyo: "If North Korea's nuclear missile attack is imminent, we have no choice but to break through with a preemptive strike"

Yoon Suk-yeol "Preemptive Strike If Signs of North Korean Missile Launch"
Lee Jae-myung "Yoon's Preemptive Strike Remarks Feel Like Playing with Fire Inside a Powder Keg"

Hong Joon-pyo, member of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, said on the 12th that the only way to respond to North Korea's nuclear missile provocations is "to break through with a preemptive strike." This is a similar claim to the preemptive strike theory previously mentioned by Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate.

On the same day, when a netizen asked Hong at his 'Dream of Youth' platform, "What do you think about the preemptive strike theory against North Korea? It might have been brought up to rally the conservative base, but is it really the right judgment to carry out a preemptive strike and lead to war?" he responded accordingly.

Hong said, "When the launch of nuclear missiles toward our side is imminent, the only way is to break through with a preemptive strike," adding, "It is the final decision to neutralize about 70 North Korean nuclear facilities identified in advance when the situation is confirmed through surveillance satellites or reconnaissance flights." He continued, "Once the moment of the preemptive strike comes, war is inevitable," and added, "If we do not do so, we will be annihilated by a nuclear attack."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is entering the event hall of Grand Seoul Tower 1 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 12th to watch the opening match of the 2022 LCK Spring, an online game 'League of Legends' tournament.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 11th, during a New Year's press conference, Yoon was asked, "North Korea has recently been firing missiles and continuing threats; do you have a plan to prevent this?" He replied, "If a missile traveling at Mach 5 or higher is launched from North Korea and is equipped with a nuclear warhead, the time it takes to reach the Seoul metropolitan area and cause mass destruction is less than one minute. Interception is practically impossible." He added, "The only way to stop it is a preemptive strike called the 'Kill-Chain,' which is at the forefront of our three-axis system."

In response, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, raised criticism. On the same day, after announcing security personnel recruitment at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, he held a press conference and said to Yoon, "I feel uneasy as if watching a child playing with fire inside a powder keg. I deeply worry about the dangerous war provocation claims."

He continued, "No world leader casually talks about preemptive strikes. This can be seen as encouraging aggressive war in the international community and could be interpreted as a declaration of war," and directly questioned, "Why does Candidate Yoon provoke a war crisis by mentioning preemptive strikes?"

He said, "The Kill-Chain is a military strategy to strike targets when weapons of mass destruction or nuclear attacks are clear and imminent. It is not something to be mentioned in situations like weapon tests or missile launches," adding, "If someone brings up preemptive strikes without understanding this, it is truly ignorance."

However, the opposition party rebutted Lee's criticism, saying, "It seems Lee wanted to frame Yoon as provoking a war crisis. But it was a misstep."

Jang Young-il, the full-time deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, issued a statement saying, "Lee said the Kill-Chain is part of military doctrine and politicians should not speak carelessly about it. However, the Korean-style three-axis system is well explained in the Defense White Paper, which all citizens can view anytime. I hope he takes the time to study."

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