Opposition leader criticizes Lee's North Korea policy as JCS blames North for DMZ mine
In short
Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the opposition People Power Party, said at a press conference in Seoul on October 5 that the Lee Jae-myung government is damaging the country's dignity, saying President Lee shows “anger management disorder” toward Ukraine but “manages anger well” toward North Korea. Jang also criticized Lee's call to return to the spirit of the October 4 inter-Korean declaration, the early transfer of wartime operational control, and the ruling camp's dispute over its nominee for the major crimes investigation agency. Separately, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had concluded that North Korean mines buried south of the military demarcation line caused the September 21 DMZ explosion that injured a South Korean soldier.
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Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the opposition People Power Party, told a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeouido district on October 5 that the Lee Jae-myung government is damaging the dignity of the country and its people, and that the fault lies with President Lee himself. He said the government lies down flat and is busy begging for peace even as North Korea fires missiles and jeers with the phrase “a self-staged comedy”, and he drew a contrast between the president's posture toward Ukraine and toward the North: “anger management disorder” for Ukraine and “managing anger well” for North Korea. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jang said President Lee had recently demanded a public apology from Ukraine for violating a confidential agreement over the return of North Korean prisoners of war, while responding only passively to North Korea over the DMZ mine explosion. He criticized Lee's remark the previous day that Seoul should return to the spirit of the October 4 inter-Korean summit declaration, asking how the military could take corresponding measures when the commander-in-chief speaks that way, and said there had not been even a formal expression of regret over North Korea's provocations, the Hankook Ilbo reported. [ 2 ]
The opposition leader said a court had already recognized that money was sent to North Korea as a price for a visit there and that those involved were convicted, and argued that President Lee would certainly be found guilty if he stood trial. He also opposed the early transfer of wartime operational control, saying it was not the time for the president to fight the public and the United States and that the president should be fighting North Korea. If the president does not intend to protect the people, Jang said, he should step down from his post now. [ 2 ]
Separately, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, that it had made a final judgment that North Korean mines buried south of the military demarcation line as part of border fortification work caused the September 21 mine explosion on the western front of the DMZ. Deputy chief Kwon Dae-won, an army lieutenant general, said a South Korean soldier was injured in the blast, Newsis reported. [ 3 ]
Jang also criticized the ruling camp's internal dispute over Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the agency for major crime investigations, saying the situation was shameful to watch. He said hardliners attack the nominee as pro-Yoon while the president counters that he is anti-Yoon, and that the president and ruling-party hardliners were fighting only over whether the nominee is on their side. Political neutrality, he said, matters most for an agency whose main targets would be political and corruption crimes. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The press conference puts the president's North Korea policy at the centre of an open political fight, with the opposition leader accusing the government of tilting toward Pyongyang. The Joint Chiefs of Staff's finding that a North Korean mine injured a South Korean soldier in the DMZ gives that criticism a concrete security dimension, and the dispute over wartime operational control touches the country's alliance arrangements. The documents carry no government response, so the political cost is not yet measurable.
Key facts
- Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the opposition People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 5. [ 2 ]
- Jang said the Lee Jae-myung government is damaging the country's dignity and said President Lee shows “anger management disorder” toward Ukraine but “manages anger well” toward North Korea. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He criticized President Lee's October 4 remark that Seoul should return to the spirit of the October 4 inter-Korean summit declaration. [ 2 ]
- Jang said a court had already recognized that money was sent to North Korea as a price for a visit there and that those involved were convicted, and claimed Lee would be found guilty if tried. [ 2 ]
- Jang opposed the early transfer of wartime operational control, saying the president should be fighting North Korea, not the public or the United States. [ 2 ]
- Jang criticized the ruling camp's internal dispute over its nominee to head the major crimes investigation agency, saying political neutrality matters most for that body. [ 2 ]
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean mines buried south of the military demarcation line for border fortification work caused the September 21 DMZ mine explosion on the western front, in which a South Korean soldier was injured. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether President Lee demanded a public apology from Ukraine over a confidential agreement on the return of North Korean prisoners of war. The demand is stated by one outlet only, and the documents carry no comment from Ukraine or from the presidential office.
- Whether the alleged payments to North Korea as a price for a visit implicate President Lee. This is a claim made by the opposition leader at the press conference; no government or presidential response appears in the documents.
- The condition of the soldier injured in the September 21 DMZ explosion and other details of the incident. The Newsis article is truncated, and the other documents do not describe the incident.
- How the government or the presidential office responded to Jang's criticism. No response from the government or the ruling party is included in the documents.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that North Korean mines buried south of the military demarcation line caused the September 21 DMZ explosion that injured a South Korean soldier, deputy chief Kwon Dae-won said at a briefing. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a report on Jang Dong-hyuk's criticism of President Lee's approach to Ukraine and North Korea. [ 1 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes a full account of Jang's press conference at the National Assembly. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports Jang's remarks and carries the Joint Chiefs of Staff's final conclusion on the DMZ mine explosion. [ 3 ]