Presidential contenders slam N. Korea missile test in unison

By Jun Ji-hye

Presidential hopefuls from both conservative and liberal parties condemned North Korea’s firing of four ballistic missiles into the East Sea with one voice, Monday.

Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the leading hopeful, said the North’s missile launch “can never be condoned.”

“I urge the repressive state to immediately stop provocations that are putting the Korean Peninsula in danger,” he was quoted as saying by his aide, Rep. Park Kwang-on. “I hope North Korea does not misjudge the situation anymore.”

South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung, also from the DPK, said the only thing the North can earn from the provocations is deepening isolation in the international community.

“The only way for North Korea to assure its survival is to become a sincere member of the international community and fulfill its duties as a U.N. member,” he was quoted as saying by his aide, Park Soo-hyun.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former co-chairman of the second-largest opposition People’s Party, also slammed the North for violating the U.N. resolutions that ban the Kim Jong-un regime from any activity using ballistic missile technology.

For their part, conservative candidates suggested hard-line policies as a means to force the North to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the minor conservative opposition Bareun Party said the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system is the best option to defend against Pyongyang’s evolving threats, calling the system to be deployed on South Korean soil at the earliest possible date before the presidential election.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil, also from the Bareun Party, raised the need for the U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to be redeployed in South Korea, saying it will be an effective and practical way to better deter the reclusive state.