"Must Be Placed on Chuseok Table"... Opposition's Focused Offensive on 'North Korea Shooting Incident'

Relay Solo Protest Followed by Condemnation Meeting to Focus Fire
Kim Jong-in "Cannot Accept North Korea's Leniency"... Joo Ho-young "If Refusal to Answer Current Issues, National Investigation"
Chuseok Public Sentiment Capture Strategy... Kim Revisits Honam After One Month

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, and other lawmakers are holding an "Emergency General Assembly to Condemn North Korea's Massacre of Our Citizens" on the steps in front of the National Assembly main building on the 28th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Lim Chunhan] On the 28th, two days before the Chuseok holiday, the People Power Party launched an all-out offensive, sharply criticizing the "shooting incident of our citizens by North Korea," which has become the biggest issue in the political sphere.

Following the one-person relay protest the day before, they held an emergency party meeting to condemn the Blue House and the ruling party. This is interpreted as a strategy to carry the issue through Chuseok and seize public sentiment. At the same time, they are also making efforts to win over public opinion in Honam, visiting the region again after about a month.

The People Power Party strongly criticized the changed attitude of the Blue House and the ruling party after North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un expressed an apology.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, attended the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly that morning and said, "I cannot understand why this government is so lenient toward North Korea," adding, "President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly said in the past that he is responsible for the protection of the lives of the people, but why is he silent this time?" He then urged President Moon directly, saying, "Please come out in the media and clearly state your position on the incident."

The People Power Party is wary that the notification containing Kim Jong-un's apology might dilute the issue. They disparage the notification as a "piece of paper" (Rep. Kim Ki-hyun) and launch a full-scale offensive against remarks by Rho Moo-hyun Foundation Director Yoo Si-min, who called it "like an enlightened monarch." This is for the same reason. At the meeting that day, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young said, "The president's close aides are making sophistry as if North Korea did nothing wrong and that a very good opportunity has come just because of North Korea's 'sorry letter,'" adding, "Is this regime said to have the magic to turn a funeral into a feast with just one apology?"

Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The People Power Party demands not only North Korea's apology and a joint investigation between the two Koreas but also a government audit and a parliamentary inspection to scrutinize whether the government's response was appropriate. Floor Leader Joo pressured the ruling party, saying, "This incident is full of suspicious circumstances, and the words of the South and the North differ. If the urgent current affairs inquiry is not accepted, we will pursue it to the end through a government audit and parliamentary inspection."

Senior lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, also emphasized accountability through CBS Radio that day, saying, "Considering that letters were exchanged between President Moon and Kim Jong-un, the dialogue channel was open, but the channel regarding the shooting incident was completely blocked," and "We must clarify what the military's responsibility within the South Korean government is, what the Coast Guard's responsibility is, and what responsibilities the president and the Blue House have."

Along with this, the People Power Party also took collective action. Defining the incident as the "Truth Investigation of North Korea's Atrocities of Shooting and Burning Our Citizens," they immediately formed a task force (TF), held the first meeting on the 26th, and the day before, held a one-person relay protest led by the party leadership in front of the Blue House fountain. Even Kim Jong-in, who is critical of "struggles outside the National Assembly," unusually visited the protest site to lend support, forming a united front. The People Power Party also held a condemnation party meeting at the National Assembly that day, raising the level of criticism against the Blue House and the ruling party.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, while sharply targeting the North Korean shooting incident, the People Power Party plans to visit Honam again to win over public sentiment for Chuseok. Kim Jong-in is scheduled to visit flood recovery sites and traditional markets in Gurye, Jeollanam-do, in the afternoon. Secretary-General Kim Seon-dong, Secretary Song Eon-seok, and Rep. Jeon Bong-min (Busan Suyeong-gu), who designated Gurye as his second constituency, will accompany him.

Kim Jong-in has been particularly attentive to embracing Honam, kneeling in front of the May 18 National Cemetery last month as the first conservative party leader to do so. When heavy rain caused flooding in Jeollanam-do, he volunteered for flood recovery activities before the Democratic Party, and on the 23rd, matched party members with Honam constituencies, assigning "second constituencies." This is intended to address the regional and age group bias of the support base in next year's by-elections and the 2022 presidential election. Floor Leader Joo declared, "Open your hearts and give us your side. Without Honam, there is no Republic of Korea," sending continuous love calls and pledging to walk together with Honam.