Sim Sang-jung on Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Preemptive Strike': "Security Populism... Reckless Remarks as Presidential Candidate"

Yoon Suk-yeol: "It is to Deter War"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the Justice Party, criticized Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, for his pledge to 'strengthen preemptive strike capabilities,' calling it 'security populism' that assumes the possibility of war. In response, Yoon explained that the purpose is to deter war and is essentially preparing for a wartime situation.

At the joint presidential candidate debate hosted by the three terrestrial broadcasters on the 3rd, Sim directed at Yoon, "The preemptive strike theory is a very reckless statement for a presidential candidate," and pointed out, "In military command, victory is the goal, but as president, shouldn't you demonstrate leadership to prevent war itself from occurring?"

She continued, "The public will be very anxious about political novice Yoon mentioning preemptive strikes and the possibility of war in this way."

In response, Yoon said, "It is not about starting a war but about deterring war," adding, "There is a three-axis system in the defense white paper created even under the Democratic Party government, and among them is the preemptive strike 'Kill-chain.' Early in the administration, President Moon Jae-in visited the Ministry of National Defense and instructed them to prepare the Kill-chain without any setbacks, and he also mentioned it at the Armed Forces Day ceremony."

However, Sim countered, "The Kill-chain is about making North Korea realize that if we attack, it could be destroyed," and said, "Preemptive strikes lead to war." She emphasized, "The president of the Republic of Korea must be someone who has the will that war must never happen," calling it "security populism that creates anxiety."

Yoon revealed that when the Kill-chain is activated, it essentially means a 'state of war.' He explained, "It is about intercepting when it is almost like entering a state of war, not the concept of preemptive striking when everything is normal."

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