Yoon Suk-yeol: "Ukraine Situation Is Not Someone Else's Problem... We Must Strengthen the ROK-US Alliance"

"Declaration of the End of War Only in Words Cannot Guarantee Peace on the Korean Peninsula"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, stated on the 24th, "The Russian military has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," adding, "Russia's military actions are acts of aggression that violate international law and the UN Charter and must be condemned."

Through Facebook on the same day, Candidate Yoon said, "Our government must devise thorough measures to minimize the economic damage to South Korea, a country that relies on exports for its livelihood."

In his post, he also pointed out, "The situation in Ukraine is by no means someone else's problem. Dismissing it as an issue of a country on the opposite side of the globe shows a lack of proper understanding of 21st-century international relations." This appears to be a critique of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, who previously said, "Although it is a matter of a country on the opposite side of the globe, our country's stock prices are falling because of this issue."

Candidate Yoon emphasized, "We must be fully prepared to ensure that the Ukraine crisis does not translate into a geopolitical risk on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "In particular, we must establish flawless countermeasures with the United States in case North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, takes advantage of this crisis to provoke the South." He continued, "Ukraine should have promptly joined NATO in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons," explaining, "This incident clearly shows the diplomatic plight of a 'non-aligned' country without allies."

He stressed, "South Korea must also make a cold-headed choice. Mere verbal declarations of an end-of-war declaration and peace agreement will never guarantee peace on the Korean Peninsula," and added, "I will strengthen the ROK-US alliance and build peace through strength."

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