Attendance at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Plenary Meeting
Minister Kwon: "North Korea Should Avoid Rude and Ungracious Expressions... We Will Persuade with Patience"
Ministry of Unification: "North Korea's Attitude Invites International Isolation and Economic Deterioration"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Kwon] On the 19th, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se criticized the statement by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of North Korea, who condemned President Yoon Suk-yeol's denuclearization process and North Korea policy, the "Bold Initiative," calling it "a very rude and unrefined expression" and expressing "deep regret."
Minister Kwon appeared at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary session that morning and sharply criticized Kim Yo-jong's statement, saying, "It is very regrettable that she used very rude and unrefined expressions to criticize our president and distortedly criticized the Bold Initiative."
He further warned, "Such actions are not good for North Korea itself and are also very detrimental to peace on the Korean Peninsula."
He added, "Nevertheless, North Korea's attitude was not entirely unexpected but within a reasonably predictable range," and said, "As I have emphasized several times, patience is needed in inter-Korean relations, so we will continue to persuade North Korea with patience and, if necessary, apply pressure to induce dialogue."
Yoon Ho-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "I deliberately did not quote parts of the statement," adding, "Rather than getting caught up in the expressions, we need to deeply understand the background of the statement."
In response, Minister Kwon said, "Kim Yo-jong criticized former and current presidents in what is called 'scapegoating,' and as you mentioned, I pointed out that unrefined language should be avoided in inter-Korean relations," adding, "The content is important, so we will analyze it in depth and continue to consider how to lead it to dialogue."
The Ministry of Unification also expressed strong regret through a briefing by Deputy Spokesperson Lee Hyo-jung, stating, "North Korea criticized our president with rude expressions and, instead of responding to the Bold Initiative, distorted our initiative and rather mentioned the intention to continue nuclear development."
It continued, "North Korea's attitude not only threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula but also results in further international isolation and worsening economic conditions for North Korea," urging, "We hope North Korea recognizes that our Bold Initiative is directly related to peace on the Korean Peninsula, inter-Korean relations, and North Korea's future, and carefully reconsider it."
In a statement released through the Workers' Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, Kim Yo-jong condemned the Bold Initiative as "absurd" and "the height of foolishness," expressing refusal by saying, "We will never engage with it." The statement disparaged the initiative as "not new but merely a copy of the 'Denuclearization, Openness, 3000' policy introduced by the Lee Myung-bak regime over ten years ago, which was abandoned as a product of fratricidal confrontation without attracting public attention."
Moreover, she simultaneously disparaged former President Moon Jae-in, who proposed the so-called "Korean Peninsula Driver Theory," and President Yoon, who announced the Bold Initiative, saying, "Once the person who claimed to be the '...driver' and puzzled many people disappeared, another person living by his own whims, who does not match him at all, appeared and took the throne." In this process, she mentioned President Yoon Suk-yeol by name without his title, using harsh expressions to criticize him.
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