Kim Tae-nyeon: "People Criticize Opposition's Outdoor Protests as 'Overreacting'... Should Reflect on the Past"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the People Power Party for holding a protest in front of the Blue House regarding the shooting of our public official by North Korea, saying, "Our people criticize the opposition party, which is constantly engaging in political strife as if they have found a new issue, by saying they are 'overreacting' in colloquial terms."

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 28th, Floor Leader Kim said, "The opposition party is trying to paralyze state affairs by using this incident as an excuse to stage protests outside the parliament."

He added, "Now is the time to respond calmly and rationally to the worsening situation," and urged, "It must not escalate into a security crisis. The opposition's excessive and indiscriminate political strife may worsen the tragedy of the incident," calling for an end to such actions.

Kim also urged the People Power Party to reflect on their past actions when they were the ruling party, mentioning former President Lee Myung-bak's memoir. He said, "When preparing for the opening speech, former President Lee learned of the 'Park Wang-ja shooting incident' that occurred around 5 a.m. and, after considering revising his speech around 1 p.m., decided to maintain a consistent North Korea policy and proposed full dialogue." He added, "On August 5, 2015, despite the landmine explosion incident the previous day, former President Park Geun-hye participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the southern section of the Gyeongwon Line and urged dialogue with North Korea."

He then pointed out, "The two-faced nature of the People Power Party, which is so different when in power and in opposition, is nothing but obstruction of state affairs," emphasizing, "North Korea policy should not be approached politically. We hope for bipartisan cooperation in uncovering the truth and improving inter-Korean relations."

Regarding the North Korean authorities, he demanded cooperation in uncovering the truth. Floor Leader Kim said, "North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un officially apologized and promised to prevent recurrence. However, the investigation into the truth remains insufficient," and urged, "We hope the North Korean authorities accept the joint investigation requested by our government and cooperate promptly in uncovering the truth." He also added, "To prevent recurrence, several measures such as restoring military communication lines must precede."