Democratic Party Defense Committee Statement
"Confirmed that the conclusion of the investigation was discussed at the NSC through the National Assembly inspection"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Democratic Party defense committee members criticized on the 5th that the reversal of the conclusion regarding the West Sea government official incident was revealed to be a 'political scheme' through the state audit. They argued that the people who should be audited are not former President Moon Jae-in, but President Yoon Seok-yeol and the current government's diplomatic and security line.
Kim Byung-joo, Democratic Party defense committee secretary, and other Democratic Party defense committee members held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, stating, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government and the People Power Party are politicizing five security-related incidents: the West Sea government official shooting incident, the repatriation of North Korean criminals, the defection of a fishing boat at Samcheok Port, Baengnyeongdo NLL, and the Military Security Command martial law document whistleblowing," adding, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government, trapped in the quagmire of low approval ratings, has chosen a political purge by looking to the past rather than the future."
They said, "Through the Ministry of National Defense's state audit process yesterday, it was revealed that the reversal of the conclusion of the West Sea government official incident was clearly a political scheme," and "During the defense committee's questioning, Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop and Vice Minister Shin Beom-cheol admitted that discussions about concluding the investigation related to the West Sea government official incident took place at the NSC meetings held on May 24 and 26 this year."
The Democratic Party defense committee members stated, "In June, there was much criticism about suddenly overturning the investigation results and concluding the investigation despite no new evidence emerging regarding the West Sea government official shooting incident," and "Ultimately, it was revealed that the Presidential Office's National Security Office led the related agencies to coordinate and decide the timing of the conclusion and align their statements."
Regarding this, they argued, "The Board of Audit and Inspection should investigate President Yoon, National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han, First Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo, Minister Lee, and Coast Guard Commissioner Jeong Bong-hoon, rather than former President Moon Jae-in."
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