Lee Jae-myung: "Seoul City Boundary Alert, an Absurd Matter... Must Prevent Shock to People's Livelihood and Economy"

Noh "Condemning North Korea's UN Resolution... Must Strengthen Security Posture"
Park Kwang-on "Not Crisis Management but Crisis Amplification System... Someone Must Take Responsibility"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the Seoul Metropolitan Government's alert regarding North Korea's space launch vehicle launch on the 31st, calling it "an absurd incident."

At the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Lee said, "It is absurd that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety belatedly corrected the false alert issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Government," and pointed out, "North Korea had already notified international organizations of the launch, but whether they knew this or not, issuing an alert in the early morning was irresponsible." He added, "In times of crisis, the government must respond calmly and composedly," and questioned, "Should government agencies be fumbling and out of sync with each other?" Lee urged, "The government must do its best to manage the situation peacefully so that the livelihood economy is not shocked."

Regarding North Korea's missile launch, Lee stated, "It is a clear violation of UN resolutions and a harmful act that escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula. We strongly condemn it," and urged, "The government should call for North Korea to comply with the resolutions and ensure thorough security readiness."

Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said, "North Korea's space launch vehicle launch is a violation of UN resolutions and threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula, and we strongly condemn it," and pointed out, "A serious crisis occurred in our government's crisis management system." Park criticized, "This morning, the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a missile alert, which the Ministry of the Interior and Safety corrected, creating an absurd situation that made the public anxious," and added, "When North Korea's unmanned drone entered Yongsan, the crisis management system did not operate at all, but when North Korea notified related countries of the launch, a false missile alert was issued, creating a situation that the public cannot trust." He said, "The national system, which has become a crisis amplification system rather than a crisis management system, must be thoroughly reorganized, and someone must take responsibility," and emphasized, "Revealing the truth is a task that must be done first."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "At 6:41 a.m. this morning, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent a text message stating that the Seoul Metropolitan Government's alert was a false alarm," and criticized, "Would they do this even if Nuriho was launched? The mayor of Seoul, who disturbed people's morning sleep, should publicly apologize and hold those responsible accountable."

Park Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a statement, "Early in the morning, the siren alarm sounded, and the urgent disaster text from Seoul saying 'Evacuate' caused anxiety and confusion among citizens busy preparing for work," and introduced, "It was only 22 minutes after the Seoul Metropolitan Government's urgent disaster text that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent another urgent disaster text stating that the Seoul text was a 'false alarm.'" Park criticized, "The government, which should reassure the public, is instead causing anxiety. Rather than a prompt response, they sent a belated urgent disaster text, and even that was a false alarm, which is exasperating." He continued, "Moreover, they are even blaming each other. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety says it was a false alarm, but the Seoul Metropolitan Government says they sent the text at the Ministry's request," and criticized, "Are they now out of sync? It is a total mess."

Meanwhile, Lee urged the government to take an active role regarding the economic situation. He pointed out, "For three consecutive quarters, including the third quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year, the growth rate has fallen below the OECD average," and criticized, "The government's stubborn ultra-wealthy privilege policies and abandonment of fiscal roles over the past year have caused this situation." Lee argued, "With the current government's attitude of just waiting for the downturn to end, a disastrous situation for the livelihood economy could occur," and insisted, "More bold and active fiscal roles are needed now." He added, "I officially propose to the government to immediately start discussions for this," and said, "No matter how good the medicine is, it is useless if the timing is missed."