NPAD committed to national security ahead of elections

By Jun Ji-hye

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) is showing signs of a commitment to national security in what seems to be an effort to appeal to middle-of-the-road voters before next year’s general elections.

To that end, the NPAD has established an intraparty institute for defense analysis, Thursday, made up of 20 former military commanders. They will work as researchers, suggesting alternatives to the government’s security policies, according to the party.

Those who joined the NPAD include Song Young-moo, former chief of naval operations, and Lee Yong-ha, former vice chief of staff of the Air Force.

Many see this as the party’s move to attract a wider range of voters with just five months before the April 13 general elections.

The move is also in line with NPAD Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in’s emphasis on the importance of national security.

“We will do our best with a large number of people joining the party in order to win the general elections,” NPAD spokeswoman Rep. Yoo Eun-hae said.

With the defense research center, the party is also set to differentiate itself from the government and the ruling Saenuri Party that have been hit by the latest controversy concerning the feasibility of the nation’s KF-X fighter project.

“The incompetence and corruption of the governing Saenuri Party has been threatening national security,” Moon said. “The NPAD will take responsibility of that.”

The reliability of the program, aimed at developing indigenous fighter jets by 2025, was called into question after the U.S. government refused in April to allow Lockheed Martin to hand over four core technologies of the F-35 stealth fighters to Korea for security reasons.

The chairman also noted that more former military personnel will join the party.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye