Hong Ik-pyo: "Yoon, Dismiss Shin Won-sik for 'Turning Dokdo Sovereignty into a Dispute'"

Military Psychological Warfare Textbook Labels 'Dokdo as a Disputed Area'
Minister Shin Won-sik Rekindles Controversy Over Past Remarks
Hong Ik-pyo: "Underqualified Personnel... Must Be Dismissed Immediately"

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, directed a statement at President Yoon Suk-yeol, asking, "Will you stand by as Dokdo, our inherent territory, is 'turned into a disputed area'?" and insisted, "Defense Minister Shin Won-sik must be immediately dismissed."

At the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 4th, Floor Leader Hong pointed out, "Minister Shin already showed a flawed historical perspective by defending Lee Wan-yong and leading the removal of Hong Beom-do's bust," adding, "He is also someone who lacks the basic qualities of a soldier, having described the December 12 military coup as 'an attempt to save the country'." This criticism came amid controversy after the military authorities labeled Dokdo as a disputed area in their recent ideological training materials, and Minister Shin's past remarks acknowledging the existence of a territorial dispute over Dokdo.

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Targeting Minister Shin, Floor Leader Hong said, "An underqualified person is sitting in the position of the nation's Defense Minister, ultimately endangering our territory and national security," and reiterated, "Dokdo, which is our inherent territory with no territorial dispute, was instead subjected to a treasonous act by the government 'turning it into a disputed area'."

He continued, "Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested to Japan over the inclusion of Dokdo in the tsunami advisory issued after the earthquake, stating that 'Dokdo is clearly our inherent territory,'" and questioned, "Which stance exactly is the official position of the government?"

He then emphasized, "To prevent President Yoon Suk-yeol, elected by our people, from falling into 'pro-Japanese' or 'treason' controversies, Minister Shin Won-sik must be decisively dismissed," adding, "That would be the first step to affirming that (President Yoon) is truly the President of the Republic of Korea."

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