By Kim Hyo-jin
Opposition parties called on the Moon Jae-in government to overhaul what they claim is its naive approach toward North Korea Tuesday, following the North’s latest missile provocation.
They demanded that Moon scrap his two-track policy of seeking dialogue and sanctions, and instead strengthen defensive capabilities including full deployment of the U.S. anti-missile system.
“Moon should stop begging North Korea for dialogue and give up the fantasy that dialogue could lead to the North voluntarily giving up its nuclear program,” Rep. Chung Woo-taik, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said during a party meeting.
“He should rather focus on installing a full-scale Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit immediately and strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance.”
The minor Bareun Party also criticized Moon’s peace overture, describing it as the leader’s complacency.
“It has been proven that the North is taking another strategic step toward the advancement of its nuclear and missile program,” Chairwoman Rep. Lee Hye-hoon said during a press conference. “I advise the government to stop taking a complacent and incompetent stance.”
Rep. Yoo Seong-min, the party’s former presidential candidate, also stressed that it is “not the time for talks.”
“What we should do now is increase sanctions and pressure against the North while strengthening the alliance with the U.S. and improve our military readiness until the North feels there’s no other way but to come to the negotiating table,” he said.
The party’s floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young also upped his offensive against the Moon administration, calling for an official withdrawal from the peace initiative made in a speech in Berlin in July.
“I ask Moon to push for installing the Standard Missile-3, an additional THAAD unit, and PAC-3 antiballistic missiles and reconsider his conciliatory overture,” he said.
Rep. Son Kum-ju, chief spokesman of the minor opposition People’s Party, said that security and diplomatic presidential aides should be held accountable for their lackadaisical attitude.
“A Cheong Wa Dae official mentioned yesterday that the North’s provocations appeared to have calmed down, which leads us to seriously doubt the government’s intelligence capability.”
Meanwhile, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) strongly condemned the North’s missile provocation but was not reluctant in mentioning a need for inter-Korean dialogue.
“We denounce North Korea for conducting such an irresponsible act despite the international community’s repeated warnings and efforts to resume talks,” Rep. Woo Won-shik, the party’s floor leader, said.
“The North’s action increases tension on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia and cannot be justified with any reason. We ask the North to stop its provocations and come out for dialogue.”
Earlier in the day, North Korea fired a presumably intermediate ballistic missile over Japan into the northern Pacific. The unification ministry still reiterated the significance of the government’s two-track policy of dialogue and sanctions, alluding that the current conciliatory approach will maintain.