Jang Dong-hyuk "US Sensitive Country Designation Due to Government and Ruling Party? Lee Jae-myung Also Responsible for Diplomatic Risks"

"If Truly Committed to Security,
Start by Passing the National Security Act Revision"

On the 17th, Jang Dong-hyuk, a member of the People Power Party, commented on the Democratic Party of Korea's push for a parliamentary resolution urging the withdrawal of the designation of sensitive countries, stating, "There is no need to oppose the resolution itself, but blaming only the government and ruling party for the sensitive country designation is like criticizing only the leaves without seeing the roots."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office that day, Representative Jang said, "It is natural that the government and ruling party should take responsibility for foreign policy, but we need to know where the finger is pointing to come up with measures," raising the issue of responsibility toward the Democratic Party.

Yonhap News

According to Representative Jang, U.S. foreign and security experts expressed concern over the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, which specified "a foreign policy hostile to North Korea, China, and Russia, and prioritizing Japan" as one of the reasons for impeachment. He explained that the political crisis deepened with the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and there was also an assessment that "the Democratic Party's policies based on pro-China and anti-Japan sentiments could cause tensions in the Korea-U.S. relationship."

Representative Jang pointed out, "The diplomatic and security risks stemming from Representative Lee Jae-myung, who is on trial for allegations of illegal remittances to North Korea amounting to millions of dollars, the Democratic Party delaying the revision of the National Security Act, and the Moon Jae-in administration's suspected military secrets leak regarding THAAD are too numerous to count."

He added, "The ruling and opposition parties should not just pass a resolution and end it, but solve the problem," emphasizing, "Resolving various concerns in foreign and security issues is the fundamental solution." He then urged, "If the Democratic Party is sincere about national security, I hope they will cooperate starting with the passage of the National Security Act revision."

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plans to hold a plenary session on the 24th to conduct a current affairs inquiry regarding the U.S. adding South Korea to the 'sensitive country list.'

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