"Yoon's Room for Maneuver in US Visit Narrowed"... Opposition Launches Intense Criticism Over Ukraine Remarks

"Military Support for Ukraine Harms Our Companies"
"Urge President Yoon to Officially Retract His Statement"

The opposition parties launched a barrage of criticism on the 20th over President Yoon Seok-yeol's mention of the possibility of military support for Ukraine. The Democratic Party urged President Yoon to officially retract his remarks, warning that his comments could lead to disadvantages for Korean companies, while the People Power Party countered with an offensive regarding the Democratic Party's money envelope scandal at their party convention.

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, demanded at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th, "President Yoon must immediately officially retract his remarks on the possibility of military support for Ukraine." Park said, "The reason we have adhered to the principles of material and humanitarian aid so far is based on decisions that prioritize national interest and security, thoroughly considering diplomatic and economic practicality," adding, "President Yoon's remarks, which have dismantled this principle overnight, are effectively equivalent to saying 'involvement in a third country's war is also possible.'"

Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He cited a statement from the Russian presidential office that "South Korea's weapon support to Ukraine constitutes war intervention," and said, "If military support begins, our companies will be the first to take a direct hit." Park added, "What President Yoon should have formalized before the South Korea-US summit was not the suggestion of possible military support, but a clear adherence to the principle of refusal," and criticized, "Before the meeting even started, President Yoon once again followed the US demands as they were, narrowing his own room for maneuver."

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, also criticized, saying, "This is the first time we have a reckless and ignorant president who declares hostility toward neighboring countries like Russia by saying (our country) will jump into a war that even the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the US do not directly intervene in," and added, "(President Yoon's remarks) are not a slip of the tongue but disqualification and complete incompetence." Regarding this decision, Kim demanded, "Considering the principles of national major affairs stipulated by the Constitution, at the very least, public sentiment equivalent to a national referendum should be confirmed."

Lee Jeong-mi, leader of the Justice Party, also expressed regret at the party's executive committee meeting. Lee pointed out, "President Yoon's remarks completely contradict South Korea's basic diplomatic principle of not providing lethal weapons support to any party involved in an armed conflict," and warned, "Military support is highly likely to become a major obstacle to denuclearization and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party has not issued any additional statements regarding President Yoon's remarks. Kang Min-guk, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, said after the Supreme Council meeting, "There was no mention of that part (Russia's backlash) in the pre-meeting or closed-door meeting," in response to reporters' questions.

On the same day, the People Power Party focused on the Democratic Party's money envelope scandal at their party convention. They intensified their offensive by highlighting that Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, inherited the constituency previously held by former leader Song Young-gil, who was involved in the money envelope scandal. At the party's Supreme Council meeting, party leader Kim Ki-hyun said, "Did former leader Song and leader Lee conspire to cover up the truth by coordinating their stories?" and criticized, "If former leader Song is confident, he should return to the country as soon as possible to clear his name, but since he has not, it is hard to dismiss suspicions that the incident is being concealed." Supreme Council member Jo Su-jin also said, "Considering that Lee Jae-myung, who lost the presidential election, took over the Incheon constituency where former leader Song Young-gil was elected five times, the end point of this incident cannot be seen as former leader Song Young-gil."

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