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| Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, visits the Korea Coast Guard's West Sea Special Security Unit in Incheon's Jung District, in this Dec. 30, 2021, photo. Korea Times file |
Presidential election is not for electing military commander: Minor progressive Justice Party leader
By Jung Da-min
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has drawn concern and derision from opposition parties for his recent remarks that if elected, he would instruct the military to fire upon and destroy illegal Chinese fishing boats, which have become a headache for South Korean fishermen in the West Sea.
The opposition parties and their presidential candidates have criticized Lee for causing unnecessary diplomatic tensions with his inappropriate messages. They alleged that Lee is trying to use the Korean public's anti-China sentiment that erupted after two South Korean short track speedskaters were disqualified in an event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which many Koreans claim was an unfair move by China.
In an interview with local newspaper Segye Ilbo, Tuesday, Lee said that Korea needs to crack down strictly on the illegal activities of North Korean or Chinese fishing boats in the East Sea and West Sea of South Korea, respectively.
When asked about how he would deal with diplomatic issues related to China, Lee said that he would issue stern messages if needed. The ruling party candidate said, "We need to sink such illegal fishing boats from North Korea or China as they are trespassing into territorial waters. Would we tolerate it if similar illegal activities by Somalian boats occurred? We need to deal with the matter with equal criteria."
Lee's hardline stance on illegal Chinese fishing boats is not entirely new, as he made similar remarks, though more indirectly, in late December when he visited the Korea Coast Guard's West Sea Special Security Unit in Incheon's Jung District. At the time, Lee mentioned Indonesia's crackdowns on illegal fishing boasts, including cases of capturing and sinking, to argue that South Korea should also take stern measures on the matter of Chinese boats.
Lee directly addressing the need to sink illegal fishing boats during the Segye Ilbo interview is widely seen as an attempt to appeal to voters, as anti-China sentiment among South Koreans has been rising, following controversies over biased judging during the Winter Games.
The main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) has criticized Lee for pursuing a "populist" campaign strategy that takes advantage of the anti-China sentiment, saying that Lee suddenly changed his "China-friendly" diplomatic stance to take advantage of public sentiment.
"So far, Lee has criticized (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's security policy promise to deploy additional U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, accusing Yoon of causing tensions that could bring about China's economic retaliation," the PPP's election committee spokesman, Jang Young-il, said in a commentary, Wednesday.
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| Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of main opposition conservative People Power Party, speaks during his visit to Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Ganghwa County, Incheon, Feb. 1. Courtesy of the People Power Party election committee |
"However, Lee said that he would sink Chinese civilian fishing boats. Is he out of his mind? Even if a North Korean warship invades South Korean territorial waters, South Korea is able to attack it only after going through five steps. We're strongly concerned about Lee's impromptu and extreme recklessness, as his idea is just absurd and terrifying," Jang said.
Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of minor opposition progressive Justice Party, also responded critically to Lee's remarks on the matter of dealing with illegal fishing boats from China.
"The presidential election is not about electing a military commander," Sim said on Facebook, Wednesday. "The use of military force against civilian fishing vessels is limited to indirect use for the purpose of capturing illegal vessels or for defending against attacks from an opponent's side. If we respond to an issue using the method of unconditionally sinking an illegal fishing boat, tensions among the neighboring countries will increase, and there is also the risk of a local war. That's why we need diplomacy, and why we need a president," Sim said.
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