N. Korea Drone Dispute: "Security Disaster" vs. "Spitting While Lying Down" (Summary)

Lee Jae-myung "The Presidential Office Must Be Completely Reorganized"
Joo Ho-young "During Moon Regime, They Stirred Things Up for 37 Days"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 6th, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a blame game over the issue of a North Korean drone infiltrating the skies over Seoul. The Democratic Party strongly criticized it as a security disaster, while the People Power Party countered by referring to the Moon Jae-in administration, calling it "spitting while lying down." Notably, the January extraordinary session of the National Assembly, which the Democratic Party convened unilaterally, is scheduled to open on the 9th, so the ruling and opposition parties are expected to continue their heated debate on the issue of North Korean drones violating the no-fly zone, centered around the relevant standing committee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the expanded executive meeting that morning, "The government vehemently denied the infiltration of the no-fly zone and even went so far as to slander the opposition's reasonable questioning as acts of treason," criticizing it as "the height of impudence."

At the emergency meeting of the Democratic Party's Peace and Security Countermeasures Committee held in the National Assembly in the afternoon, regarding the North Korean drone infiltrating the no-fly zone over Yongsan, where the presidential office is located, he pointed out, "An absurd security disaster occurred where the sky over Seoul was completely breached by a North Korean drone," and "Security is being shaken to its core due to government incompetence."

He also took issue with the government criticizing Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, a former four-star general, who initially raised the possibility that the North Korean drone infiltrated the Yongsan no-fly zone, calling it an "act of treason." Lee said, "They failed in surveillance and operations but still told lies to the public," calling it "shocking."

Lee strongly condemned, "They recklessly introduced dangerous measures such as suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea," and asked, "Are they going to pull out the last remaining safety pin?" He added, "A leader should focus on reducing military tensions through meticulous security strategies and steady strengthening of defense capabilities," emphasizing, "It is time to thoroughly review the incompetent policies and replace the security line of the presidential office and the cabinet."

The People Power Party responded to the Democratic Party's offensive by emphasizing the failures during the Moon Jae-in administration.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the emergency countermeasure meeting that day, "This is not the first time a North Korean drone has crossed over; in June 2017, it roamed our country for 37 days," and "Even though it reconnoitered the Seongju THAAD base, the Moon administration failed to detect the infiltration."

Joo emphasized, "Countermeasures against drone infiltration are not created overnight," adding, "It takes years to build systems and prepare our response measures, and even if there was a failure at this point, the government, which has only been in power for 7 to 8 months, had no way to prepare." He continued, "If there is a problem with drone countermeasures, most of the responsibility inevitably lies with the Moon administration's negligence."

Regarding Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, who raised suspicions about the drone infiltrating the presidential office area before the military's official announcement, Joo said, "It should be clarified whether the military obtained secret information or if it came from another source," and criticized, "Kim, a former four-star general who flourished during the Moon administration and soon became a member of the National Defense Committee, cannot be said to bear no responsibility for the drone incident." He then counterattacked, saying, "Pointing out defense incompetence is like spitting on my own face."