Lee Jae-myung: "Yoon Seok-yeol Government Undermines the Spirit of March 1st... Must Correct the Past"

"The Solution is 'Pragmatic Diplomacy Centered on National Interest'"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the Yoon Seok-yeol administration on the occasion of Samiljeol, saying, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government is forgetting and damaging the spirit of the March 1st Movement."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, listens to the remarks of the Supreme Council members at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the same day, Lee posted on his social media, stating, "No citizen would oppose creating a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship, but building trust with Japan is impossible without historical responsibility and appropriate legal compensation." He emphasized, "We must set the past right to move forward correctly."

He criticized, "Treating forced labor victims as obstacles to improving relations and shifting responsibility onto our companies, remaining silent on the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant that affects public safety, and the Korea-US-Japan military exercises held on 'Takeshima Day' are all acts of submissive and dependent diplomacy."

Lee said, "I hope the Yoon Seok-yeol government does not forget the historical lessons," emphasizing, "The independence fiercely called for by our ancestors was based on the realization that 'we must not be dragged around by foreign powers without deciding our own fate with our own hands.'" He continued, "The solution amid the waves of US-China conflict and the crisis on the Korean Peninsula is not a dichotomous either-or diplomacy but a 'national interest-centered pragmatic diplomacy' that protects the people." He pledged, "The Democratic Party will fulfill its responsibility to inherit the spirit of March 1st and advance toward the path of 'national interest-centered pragmatism diplomacy.'"

He added, "If the Yoon Seok-yeol government tries to abandon peace and national interest, we will do our utmost to check it," saying, "That is the way to honor the dedication of our ancestors who never lost their desire for independent sovereignty even in the face of harsh hardships."