Im Jong-seok on 'Iran Enemy' Controversy: "Hope the National Assembly Does Not Escalate Political Conflict"

A Prompt and Sincere Response Requested from the Yoon Seok-yeol Government
"Sincerely Hope You Do Your Best in Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "I hope the National Assembly does not escalate this issue into a political conflict."

Former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok urged the National Assembly to respond cautiously regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's 'enemy of Iran' remark on the 18th. Unlike his usual messages, Lim Jong-seok, who had recently taken a stance against the Yoon Seok-yeol administration through social networking services (SNS), expressed concern about the seriousness of the matter but conveyed that he does not want a confrontation line between the ruling and opposition parties due to this issue.

Former Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok requested restraint from escalating political conflict on the condition that "the National Assembly should promptly send the Chief of Staff or the National Security Office Director to both ruling and opposition parties to provide sincere explanations and seek understanding."

Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff at the Blue House [Image source=Yonhap News]

The reason Lim Jong-seok delivered this message is related to the impact of Middle East issues on the Korean government. Lim Jong-seok previously visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a special envoy of President Moon Jae-in. He is one of the leading figures in the political sphere with profound knowledge of Middle East affairs.

Lim Jong-seok urged, "President Yoon Seok-yeol and the government must promptly and sincerely resolve the controversy caused by the recent gaffe during the Middle East visit," adding, "I sincerely hope they recognize that this is not an issue to be brushed off with words and do their best in behind-the-scenes diplomacy."

Lim Jong-seok emphasized, "Middle East diplomacy, along with the New Southern Policy and New Northern Policy, is a central axis expanding the horizons of the Republic of Korea's diplomacy."

He added, "Especially, diplomacy with Middle Eastern countries cannot be overemphasized in relation to the energy industry, which is the foundation of future industries. It is also extremely important concerning defense industry exports, which demonstrate the changed status of the Republic of Korea."

Lim Jong-seok explained, "The Moon Jae-in administration built brotherly ties with the UAE beyond diplomatic levels, opened a comprehensive cooperation platform with Saudi Arabia, and made relentless efforts to broaden the path of understanding and cooperation through close communication with Iran despite international sanctions."

Then, Lim Jong-seok delivered this message:

"For the national interest of the Republic of Korea, there is no country that is unimportant."

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