'Moon giving empty hope about North Korea' : LKP interim leader
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party reform body leader Kim Byoung-joon, center, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
The interim leader of the conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Kim Byoung-joon, criticized President Moon Jae-in, Thursday, for giving people “empty hope” about North Korea.
Regarding Moon's Liberation Day speech, in which he presented a rosy outlook for inter-Korean economic cooperation saying it could create 170 trillion won over next 30 years, Kim said Moon was too optimistic about the North.
“Now is not the time for the government to give false hope of an inter-Korean economic union worth 170 trillion won, but to face reality,” Kim said.
Suggesting the government set a new economic growth model from the perspective of “denationalism,” Kim said “our party is ready to cooperate with the government if the country lets the market and civil society control themselves by proposing a new growth model and sharing the fruits with the people of the nation.”
Kim added that it might not be appropriate to talk about economic benefits first when denuclearization talks are making slow progress.
“Who do you think benefits? It is highly possible that our firms would move their facilities to the North to seek cheaper labor. In this case, it will be good for the firms, but what happens to those people currently working at them?”
His remarks came amid efforts by the party to restore its tarnished reputation by running a reform body and building a new philosophy as the main conservative party.
The party is focused on opposing the latest peace overture after the Panmunjeom summit between the two Koreas, April 27, and emphasizing policies for small firms during the sluggish economy.
LKP floor leader Kim Sung-tae also criticized Moon saying “if you are only talking about peace between the Koreas and ignoring the economy, why don't you become a president with decentralized power by accepting a decentralized bill on constitutional revision.”