Hong Joon-pyo: "Talking about denuclearization without even mentioning North Korea's nuclear weapons... a bizarre pro-North leftist"
by Heo Midam
Published 10 Jan.2025 15:49(KST)
Updated 13 Jan.2025 07:20(KST)
Hong Jun-pyo Stresses "Nuclear Armament Is for Defense, Not Offense"
Recalls 2017 Washington Visit: "If the U.S. Refuses Nuclear Sharing, We Must Develop Our Own Weapons"
Meets Paul Manafort to Discuss Korea-U.S. Relations and Security Issues
Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo pointed out that "it is truly strange how the pro-North Korean leftists oppose our nuclear armament issue under the pretext of denuclearization, while they cannot say a single word about North Korea's nuclear weapons."
On the 10th, Mayor Hong said on his Facebook, "The economy is about making a living, but security is about life and death." He added, "Our intention to possess nuclear weapons is for defensive purposes, not offensive."
He recalled, "In October 2017, when I visited Washington as the leader of our party (Liberty Korea Party), I was invited to the Washington Foreign Relations Association to give a special lecture on North Korea's nuclear weapons. At that time, I emphasized that if the U.S. does not provide NATO-style nuclear sharing or redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to achieve nuclear balance between the South and the North, we would have no choice but to develop our own nuclear weapons for survival."
He continued, "When a U.S. arms control expert laughed while mentioning economic sanctions, I responded that unlike North Korea, we are one of the world's top 10 economic powers, and without our cooperation in advanced industries, would the U.S. economy remain intact? I also pointed out that if the U.S. acted that way, there are also the Chinese and Indian markets, which together account for half of the world's population. After that, there were no further questions."
Earlier, on the 7th, Mayor Hong met with Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman of Donald Trump's U.S. presidential campaign, who visited Korea privately. Paul Manafort is known as a close aide to Trump and served as the campaign chairman during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
During this meeting, Mayor Hong reportedly discussed the Korea-U.S. relationship and security issues under the second Trump administration, emphasizing the nuclear armament of the Korean Peninsula and the theory of nuclear balance between the South and the North. Afterwards, former campaign chairman Manafort invited Mayor Hong to Trump's inauguration ceremony, parade, and dinner, and Mayor Hong is currently considering whether to attend.
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