"Self-Reliant National Defense is Top Goal... Military Command Must Be Exercised Independently"

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung received policy briefings from diplomatic and security ministries this morning (August 5). During the session, President Lee stated that self-reliant national defense is the ultimate goal, reiterating his strong determination to regain wartime operational control within his term.

Reporter Kim Jeongyun has the details.

[Reporter]

This morning's presidential policy briefings involved diplomatic and security ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

In his opening remarks, President Lee Jae-myung once again clearly expressed his commitment to recovering wartime operational control during his term in office.

[President Lee Jae-myung : Self-reliant national defense is our greatest task. Naturally, we should exercise military command ourselves, as it is a part of our sovereignty.]

President Lee emphasized that the policy of peaceful co-existence with North Korea must be pursued continuously, even if it proves difficult.

He expressed regret over diplomatic and security issues, such as the restoration of the September 19 Military Agreement and the peaceful two-state theory, becoming subjects of political strife.

[President Lee Jae-myung : Regrettably, our most critical diplomatic and security issues become subjects of political controversy.]

At the same time, referring to recent controversies such as frontline troops performing guard duty without ammunition magazines inserted, he ordered a thorough and foolproof defense posture.

[President Lee Jae-myung : It makes sense in everyday life to remove bullets rather than risk an accidental discharge from having them loaded. But national defense is different.]

President Lee also instructed authorities to review the preliminary introduction of postal voting for overseas citizens, depending on local conditions in each country, to guarantee their voting rights.

(Video reporting: Jeong Sang-bo, Ha Ryung | Video editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.