野 "Joint drills with Japan only help militarization"

Democratic Party Defense Committee Press Conference... "Japan Seems to Be Using a 'One Foot In' Strategy"
"Not Helpful for North Korea Denuclearization... Security Cooperation Should Be Limited to Missile Intelligence Sharing"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Democratic Party members of the National Defense Committee stated on the 12th, "Joint exercises with Japan do not help at all in denuclearizing North Korea," adding, "There is neither a place nor a need for Japan to be involved in responding to the North Korean threat."

Kim Byung-joo, the Democratic Party National Defense Committee secretary, and others said at a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, "Our country, ranked sixth in the world in military strength, along with the combined forces of the ROK-US alliance, is sufficient," expressing this view.

They said, "About ten years ago, when our intelligence capabilities were lacking, we might have needed Japan's intelligence assets and information, but now it is different," adding, "As with past governments, security cooperation with Japan should be limited to intelligence sharing concerning North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."

Opposition party members of the National Defense Committee mentioned, "Even in the desperate crisis during the Korean War when our forces were pushed back to the Nakdong River front, we did not receive military support from Japan," explaining, "Because we were wary of Japan's ambitions."

They stated, "Japan claims Dokdo as its territory, calls the East Sea the Sea of Japan, and has placed a map of the Korean Peninsula behind the Defense Minister's office, revealing its ambitions over our territory," adding, "In this situation, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration unilaterally decided on ROK-US-Japan joint exercises, trampling on the pride of our people."

Opposition National Defense Committee members said, "Conducting ROK-US-Japan joint exercises in the East Sea is tantamount to falling into Japan's strategy, which aims for military expansion through transformation into a normal state," and added, "Japan seems to be using a so-called 'one foot in the door' strategy." They continued, "By putting one foot inside the house, they create a foothold, and then intend to enter the entire house," emphasizing, "Once one foot is inside, it leads to three feet inside, and eventually entering the main room."

They criticized, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration, under the pretext of responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, has effectively helped Japan, which has long desired joint exercises near Dokdo in the East Sea, to recognize the Self-Defense Forces as a normal country's military and pursue military expansion."

They also explained that although past governments conducted military exercises with Japan, the scale and context differ from the current situation.

Opposition National Defense Committee members said, "The ROK-US-Japan joint exercises decided by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration are qualitatively different from those conducted by the Moon Jae-in administration and previous governments," adding, "The ROK-US-Japan joint exercises were conducted in the East Sea, where Dokdo is located. Previously, exercises were mainly held near Hawaii, south of Jeju Island, and in the waters of each country." Regarding the content of the exercises, they said, "Previous governments mainly conducted ROK-US-Japan search and rescue exercises, missile warning drills, and ballistic missile detection and tracking exercises," but "under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, ROK-US-Japan anti-submarine warfare exercises and missile defense exercises were conducted in the East Sea. Additionally, missile interception procedures were included in the training. The exercises have been further strengthened." They explained that while past exercises were mainly for communication and situation sharing, this time they included live maneuvers.

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