PPP Criticizes Government's Security Policy, Calling It Alliance Passing and North Korean Mockery

▲ Choi Bo-yoon, Senior Spokesperson for the People Power Party (File Photo)

The People Power Party (PPP) harshly criticized the foreign policy and national security stance of the Lee Jae-myung administration today (August 23), stating, "We are being passed over by our allies and mocked by North Korea."

Senior Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon pointed out in a commentary today, "The South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), was effectively halved by the unilateral directive of U.S. President Donald Trump. Our government was excluded from alliance decisions."

Choi stated, "At the same time, North Korea mocked our government as being in a 'pitiable plight' and fired missiles toward the East Sea. What returned in response to our gesture of dialogue was not a handshake, but a slap in the face."

He went on to warn, "The impatience to rush the early transition of wartime operational control in this situation is perilous," adding, "The public will surely judge the security incompetence and irresponsibility of the Lee Jae-myung administration."

Meanwhile, Representative Kim Gunn, a former chief negotiator for the Korean Peninsula peace process at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on Facebook that the remark made by Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office Director and Foreign Minister Wang Yi—who visited South Korea on August 19—referring to the two Koreas as "two states" (兩個國家) should not be overlooked.

Representative Kim explained, "There is a clear difference from the expressions China has predominantly used when mentioning Korean Peninsula issues in past South Korea-China summit or foreign ministerial talks, such as 'both sides of North and South Korea' or 'North-South relations.' In state-to-state diplomacy, terminology and expressions are never trivial matters."

He further criticized, "Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is causing controversy by advocating for 'peaceful two states' and claiming North Korea should be addressed by its official state name 'Chosun,' even before internal coordination within the government. As Wang Yi's visit to South Korea vividly demonstrates, this kind of situation only provides an excuse for neighboring countries to refer to the two Koreas as 'two separate countries' without hesitation during official bilateral talks with us."

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