President Moon's Proposal for a UN General Assembly Ceasefire Declaration Sparks Mixed Reactions in Political Circles
[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Jeon Jin-young] Regarding President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a declaration of the end of the war at the United Nations General Assembly, the ruling and opposition party leaders currently visiting the United States expressed completely opposite reactions.
On the 23rd, Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed his welcome regarding President Moon's proposal conveyed the day before at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly, saying, "South and North Korea must join forces together with the international community. For this, we urge a change in attitude and cooperation from the North Korean authorities."
However, around the same time, Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, who arrived in Washington DC for his visit to the United States, told reporters, "It is actually somewhat puzzling internationally to bring up various agendas at the end of a term," and drew a line by saying, "I think we need to be cautious because it could also affect the presidential election domestically." He also said, "In the past, diplomatic schedules hastily conducted before presidential elections have not been well received by the public," adding, "Rather than making new proposals, it would be better to properly conclude what has been done so far and go through a process of reviewing the mistakes." In response, Floor Leader Yoon criticized, "The president is conducting vaccine diplomacy and peace diplomacy, but the opposition party leader is obstructing this by talking about the end of the term."
Song, who is also on a visit to the United States, said at a press corps meeting held at a restaurant in Washington DC on the 20th, "North Korea has not conducted additional nuclear tests or long-range missile tests for almost four years. In any case, this is worth evaluating," and added, "There should be corresponding measures." As a solution, he pointed to the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. He said, "Measures that allow visits to North Korea in terms of humanitarian aid or civilian cooperation seem necessary," and "The restoration of the Kaesong Industrial Complex can also be considered as one alternative."
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