Hong Jun-pyo to Yoon: "Security ignorance is astonishing... How do you intend to be a president who protects the lives of the people?"
From the left, Hong Jun-pyo and Yoon Seok-youl, preliminary presidential candidates of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 27th, Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential primary candidate from the People Power Party, criticized the camp of his intra-party rival, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "Just stay quiet. That's the least you can do to help the candidate."
On the same day, Hong posted on his Facebook, stating, "Blaming others for your candidate's ignorance while swarming like hornets and talking about military secrets only exposes the camp's own ignorance," expressing his criticism.
He added, "The Operation Plan 5015 has been publicly known and generalized as a security common sense since it was created in 2016," and criticized, "It is even more surprising that the candidate is unaware of the recent threats from Kim Yo-jong toward South Korea."
He continued, "How can you claim to be president responsible for protecting the lives and property of 52 million people with that kind of ignorance?" and pointed out, "It seems the saying that Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, is being swarmed by flies is not without reason."
Additionally, Hong said, "There are aides involved in real estate corruption, aides involved in controversies over their son's abuse of power, allegations of corruption involving the mother-in-law and wife, and even suspicions of the candidate's own involvement in instigating accusations," adding, "The more you talk, the more the candidate's corruption allegations and ignorance are highlighted."
Earlier, at a People Power Party debate held on Channel A the previous day, Hong asked former Prosecutor General Yoon, "Are you familiar with Operation Plan 5015?" Yoon initially responded, "Please explain," but upon being asked again, he answered, "Isn't it the operational plan activated in case of a national invasion emergency?"
Hong then corrected him, saying, "Operation Plan 5015 is not that; it is a plan executed by the ROK-US Combined Forces Command during wartime against North Korea." He continued, "If Operation Plan 5015 is activated, what is the first thing you would do as president?" Upon hearing the question, Yoon said, "Since it involves ROK-US combined operations, I would first contact the US president."
Hong responded, "(The activation of Operation Plan 5015) means that consultations with the US president have already been completed, so what kind of call are you talking about?" He explained, "Operation Plan 5015 involves preemptive strikes before a northern invasion. It strikes when signs of North Korean nuclear missile launches are at their greatest. Then, a decapitation operation is launched. The president must decide whether to go to war or not just before the war begins."
As the debate stirred controversy, Kim Young-hwan, former lawmaker and head of talent recruitment for Yoon's camp, criticized on his Facebook, "It is inappropriate for candidate Hong to discuss Operation Plan 5015 in a public forum," adding, "It is also questionable that a decapitation operation is included in it. Premature study causes innocent people to be targeted."
Meanwhile, 'Operation Plan 5015' is one of the wartime operational plans of the ROK-US combined forces. It includes preemptive strikes upon detecting signs of North Korean nuclear weapon use and deployment of ROK-US combined forces in the event of a sudden change in North Korea.
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