The Democratic Party shifts focus on "North Korea collusion"... Opposition claims "Presidential Office conspiracy theory"

Military "North Korean drone infiltrates near Yongsan" belatedly acknowledged
Opposition Kim Byung-joo "Flight restriction zone breach, security failure"
Ruling party and government "Disclose process of obtaining North Korean intrusion information"

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong and Park Juni] The dispute between the ruling party and the opposition is intensifying over the intrusion of a North Korean drone into South Korean airspace on the 26th of last month. As our military acknowledged that the North Korean drone penetrated near the Yongsan Presidential Office, the opposition launched a relentless offensive focusing on the government's 'security incompetence,' while the ruling party attempted to shift the narrative by claiming that opposition lawmakers who asserted "Yongsan was breached" during the North Korean drone intrusion are colluding with North Korea.

On the 6th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly, "It is questionable how they found out that (the North Korean drone) violated the no-fly zone," adding, "Even the military authorities could not confirm it. They must clearly disclose to the public whether this secret information was obtained within the military or from another source."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 27th of last month, immediately after the North Korean drone provocation, Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party, raised the possibility of the drone's intrusion into areas including Eunpyeong, Jongno, Dongdaemun, Gwangjin, and Namsan based on the flight trajectory reported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the National Defense Committee meeting. At that time, the Joint Chiefs dismissed these suspicions, but the day before, they officially acknowledged that the North Korean drone had violated part of the northern no-fly zone. Subsequently, a senior official from the Presidential Office said, "The authorities are questioning the source of the information, as neither the Ministry of National Defense nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff knew about it."

Shin, a three-star general and the ruling party's secretary of the National Defense Committee, wrote on Facebook that day, "Why is the Democratic Party playing into North Korea's intentions?" and asked, "Is the Democratic Party truly North Korea's puppet or voluntarily acting as a 'Trojan horse'?"

In response, Kim said in an interview on MBC Radio's Kim Jong-bae's Focus, "It was so absurd and ridiculous to be accused of colluding with North Korea by the ruling party that I couldn't sleep at night," adding, "Any Seoul citizen who can read a map would understand this." He explained, "Initially, the military said the drone passed over northern Seoul, but upon closely examining the map, it passed through Eunpyeong-gu, Jongno, Gwangjin-gu, and Namsan," and said, "I always think about the 'no-fly zone,' and I believed it was connected through the no-fly zone."

He continued, "If the security zone has fences on the ground, the sky's fence is the no-fly zone, and any aircraft entering within a 3.7 km radius must be shot down," criticizing, "An enemy aircraft entering the no-fly zone is a complete failure of the security operation." He raised his voice, saying, "The National Security Council (NSC) was not convened, and the presidential security line that did not inform the public must take responsibility."

The Democratic Party countered the ruling party's collusion allegations against Kim as a 'conspiracy theory' from the Presidential Office. Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at an expanded executive meeting, "If the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the military continue to cover up lies and concealment suspicions with absurd conspiracy theories, we will not stand by," urging, "We want a clear statement on whether Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson who raised the conspiracy theory against Kim, spoke on her own or reflected the president's intentions."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said, "There is a saying that an incompetent ally is scarier than the enemy," urging, "The military leadership trying to cover up the shocking security disaster caused by failure in vigilance and operations with lies must be held accountable."

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