野 "President Yoon, the Greatest Security Threat" vs 與 "Treasonous Behavior"

Yoon's Sharp Criticism of 'Iran as UAE's Enemy' Statement

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The Democratic Party of Korea continued its criticism over President Yoon Seok-yeol's remark during his overseas trip that "the enemy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Iran," saying, "How long must we watch our national dignity and interests be damaged by the rookie president's elementary mistakes in delicate diplomatic relations?"

Oh Young-hwan, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said in a written briefing on the 24th, "The greatest threat to South Korea's diplomacy and security is President Yoon Seok-yeol," adding, "The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated regarding this remark that 'the Korean government showed willingness to correct the mistake but it was insufficient.' The deep concerns of the people are becoming a reality."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Oh, the floor spokesperson, said, "The deterioration of relations with Iran will make the issue of the frozen $7 billion Iranian funds even more difficult and will significantly weaken South Korea's diplomatic power in the Middle East," adding, "We are now in a situation where we even have to worry about the safe navigation of our vessels through the Strait of Hormuz." He continued, "The basic principle of diplomacy is to reduce enemies and increase friends, but President Yoon is conducting diplomacy that increases enemies."

He also said, "It is pathetic that the People Power Party is once again defending President Yoon by saying 'he is right' even after a second diplomatic fiasco," adding, "The public's sighs only deepen at the attitude of the government and ruling party, who do not even understand the basics of diplomacy."

President Yoon's remarks about Iran were also heavily criticized at the Lunar New Year public sentiment press conference held by the Democratic Party that morning. Cho Jung-sik, the party's secretary-general, said, "The president's verbal blunders were a topic at the Lunar New Year dinner table all day," adding, "Many said, 'Why does the president always cause trouble whenever he goes abroad? If he made a mistake, he should apologize. Why does he evade responsibility and blame others?'"

The People Power Party urged the Democratic Party to stop its continuous criticism, calling it a "traitorous behavior." Kim Mi-ae, the People Power Party's floor spokesperson, said, "How can the president's encouraging remarks to our troops deployed overseas be considered diplomatic remarks?" adding, "The Democratic Party's traitorous behavior of repeatedly using the president's encouragement to deployed troops as a political tool to shield Lee Jae-myung is putting a burden on our government."

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