Hong Ik-pyo "Peace through overwhelming power, must be aware of destructive consequences"

"Regret Over Using the September 19 Military Agreement for Political Conflict"

Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 16th, "We strongly regret that the government and ruling party are using the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas as a political tool in the 9·19 military agreement dispute aimed at preventing accidental clashes and provocations by North Korea between the South and the North."

At the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Hong said, "The government and ruling party should not ruin things by viewing even tragic international events through the narrow lens of erasing the previous administration," adding, "I hope the government and ruling party respond with the responsibility befitting the ruling power in this situation."

He stated, "We must recognize the destructive consequences that a hardline policy of peace through overwhelming force can bring and shift our North Korea policy," and urged, "Based on a solid security posture, we should take this as an opportunity to improve the deteriorating inter-Korean relations and make more active efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In addition, Floor Leader Hong said, "The claim that the 9·19 agreement has lowered our military's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities is not true."

Earlier, on the 13th, Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, emphasized at the National Assembly audit countermeasure meeting, "Hamas succeeded in a surprise attack due to a gap in Israel's surveillance and reconnaissance, and it was confirmed yesterday at the National Defense Committee audit that we are also facing temporal and spatial constraints in surveillance and reconnaissance against the North due to the 9·19 military agreement," adding, "Security anxiety has already escalated to a very dangerous level, and to enhance safety and flexibility in strategic response, we cannot avoid considering suspending the effectiveness of the 9·19 military agreement."

Meanwhile, Floor Leader Hong expressed gratitude for the government's efforts to bring back citizens staying in Israel using military transport planes, saying, "I express my thanks for the efforts made to ensure the safety of our citizens," and added, "The Democratic Party will also actively cooperate in securing the safety of citizens and responding to economic situations such as oil prices and financial markets."

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