Kim Jong-in: "President Moon should directly demand an apology from North Korea's Kim Jong-un" (Comprehensive)

Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at a breakfast meeting with the party's affiliated provincial governors held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Im Chunhan] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, urged on the 25th that President Moon Jae-in should personally step forward to reveal the truth and demand punishment for those responsible in North Korea regarding the incident where a public official who went missing in the West Sea was shot and his body burned.

On the morning of the same day, Kim held an emergency meeting with the Emergency Response Committee and the Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee members at the National Assembly, stating, "The president's 'selective silence' can no longer be tolerated."

He raised his voice, saying, "The entire nation feels unbearable anger together over North Korea's barbaric murder," and "This heinous incident is a military provocation against the Republic of Korea and a serious violation of international law." According to the Geneva Conventions and UN resolutions, the killing of unarmed civilians is prohibited even during wartime, and summary executions are also forbidden.

Kim pointed out, "This situation is a national disaster caused by the Moon administration's overall security failure," adding, "The rosy illusions about North Korea have turned into a bloody disaster that has taken the lives of our people." He continued, "What makes me even more furious is the fact that while our citizens were dying tragically, the military stood by with their hands tied," and questioned, "Why has our military and national security come to such a state?"

He sharply criticized that the fundamental responsibility lies with President Moon and the Blue House. Kim said, "The president, as the commander-in-chief, consistently showed a submissive attitude and was cautious of North Korea, which led to the disarmament of our military," and added, "I have doubts about whether the actions taken by President Moon after being informed of this incident fulfilled his constitutional duty to protect the lives and safety of the people as president."

Before punishing those responsible, Kim insisted that the president must first clearly explain the reasons for his 47-hour silence after being informed, as well as the details of his response measures. Specifically, he demanded detailed explanations on ▲ why the military and Blue House, despite recognizing the incident on the 21st, disclosed it only on the 24th, three days later ▲ the exact time the president first became aware of the incident ▲ and why the president did not order a rescue despite being informed.

He urged, "President Moon must personally apologize to the people and reveal the truth of the incident without any concealment," and "Furthermore, the president must directly demand an apology and punishment of those responsible from North Korea's Kim Jong-un." He added, "All means, including international cooperation, must be mobilized to hold North Korea accountable," and strongly called for "filing charges against North Korea for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court and referring the matter to the UN Security Council."

Kim also argued that the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement, which North Korea has already abandoned, should be officially terminated. He directed a warning to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, saying, "If you provoke again, the safety of your regime cannot be guaranteed immediately," and urged, "Find those responsible for this incident and punish them immediately."