"Moon, Did He Know and Still Deliver the 'End of War Declaration' Speech?"... People Power Party Jointly Condemns 'Yeonpyeongdo Shelling' (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Regarding the Yeonpyeong Island shooting incident, figures from the People Power Party unanimously condemned, saying, "Did President Moon Jae-in knowingly give a 'Declaration of the End of War' speech at the UN?" There were also calls for the government to take a strong stance on this incident.

On the 24th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized the incident involving the shooting of a missing public official from Yeonpyeong Island by North Korea, stating, "If the President proposed a declaration of the end of the war at the UN General Assembly despite knowing that a South Korean citizen had been shot, it is not only deceiving the people but also an absolutely unacceptable situation."

After a virtual party meeting that afternoon, Joo told reporters, "We are currently in the process of investigating the facts," adding, "We are tracking the timeline and the reported details."

Senior party member Jeong Jin-seok also criticized on Facebook, "Even if the person who crossed from the South to the North was Chinese, would they have shot and burned the body? They are ruthless," and questioned, "Did the President give the UN speech on the declaration of the end of the war even after hearing about this tragic incident?"

Assemblyman Tae Young-ho also pointed out on Facebook, "It is said that this fact was reported to the Minister of National Defense around 11 a.m. on the 22nd," adding, "Coincidentally, the next day, on the 23rd early morning, President Moon Jae-in gave the UN General Assembly speech advocating for the declaration of the end of the war. The Blue House must first clarify whether this matter was reported to President Moon on the night of the 22nd."

He emphasized, "Our government should urge North Korea to form a joint investigation team and clearly reveal the facts of the incident to resolve our people's doubts and anger," and "North Korea should also boldly agree to form a joint investigation team if it considers future inter-Korean relations."

He continued, "In June, the inter-Korean joint liaison office, which is our people's property, was blown up without a trace. Our government has taken no effective measures regarding this. This time, our citizen has died," adding, "Our government should promptly refer this incident along with the previous liaison office bombing to the UN Security Council."

Assemblyman Ha Tae-kyung also criticized on Facebook, "President Moon proposed a declaration of the end of the war and inter-Korean health cooperation to North Korea in his UN General Assembly speech. It is shocking and heartbreaking," adding, "Our citizen was shot and killed, and the body was burned, yet we are courting North Korea? Is that even reasonable? After turning a blind eye to North Korean human rights, are we now ignoring the lives of our own people?"

Ha stated, "What President Moon should have said in his UN speech was not an empty declaration of the end of the war, but a strong condemnation of North Korea's human rights abuses and the murder of our citizen, along with corresponding countermeasures," and "If there is no will to protect the people, then he has no qualification to be president."

Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong also addressed President Moon, saying, "It is unbelievable that he gave a speech as if nothing had happened even after the tragic death of our citizen," and "The military reportedly detected the incident on the night of the 22nd. President Moon spoke about the declaration of the end of the war in his UN speech the next day."

Governor Won added, "Our government's failure to strongly respond to North Korea's provocations and atrocities is also a major responsibility," and questioned, "The Kaesong Industrial Complex liaison office bombing was also swept under the rug. Will it be the same this time?"

He pointed out, "Which country shoots unarmed foreigners and even burns their bodies? This is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit killing unarmed civilians even during war. It is a clear violation of the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration and the September 19 military agreement, both concluded under the current administration."