Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Projectile Response in National Defense Committee

Democratic Party: "What to Learn and Share from Japan?"
People Power Party: "Previous Government Damaged ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Relations"

On the 1st, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over the military authorities' response to North Korea's space launch vehicle launch during the National Defense Committee's full session at the National Assembly.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop is seated attending the full meeting of the National Defense Committee held at the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Democratic Party of Korea pointed out issues of cooperation with related agencies and local governments, using the false alarm of the emergency disaster alert text message sent by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a starting point, while the People Power Party countered by emphasizing that rapid missile trajectory tracking and response became possible through the normalization of South Korea-U.S.-Japan relations under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min questioned Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, saying, "Yesterday was a deliberate and planned provocation by North Korea," and asked, "In a situation where a North Korean provocation could be anticipated at any time, do you think the collaboration system among the Ministry of National Defense, NSC (National Security Council), Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local governments, and related agencies was well established to reassure the public?"

In response, Minister Lee said, "The Security Office and the military evaluated that overall, from the preparation process before the launch, the launch process itself, to immediately after the launch, including the propagation of alerts, appropriate measures were taken well." Lawmaker Ki rebutted, "That is a disregard for the public and an evaluation detached from general sentiment." He also pointed out that while the Japanese government sent evacuation orders containing reasons and locations for sheltering immediately after the launch, our disaster alert text, sent later, lacked specific information, sarcastically asking, "What exactly are we learning and sharing from Japan?"

Fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Seol Hoon also criticized, "It is very worrisome whether the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is placing peace as the foremost element of national security, and I am even fearful whether the national security policy is truly on the right path."

On the other hand, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Chae-ik countered, "The public judges that national security and defense collapsed during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration, and that the trilateral relations among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan were damaged." He added, "Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office and relations between South Korea-Japan and South Korea-U.S. normalized, North Korea must have felt a greater sense of crisis and thus carried out this provocation."

He emphasized, "We must fully mobilize trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, along with intelligence and diplomatic capabilities, to make sure North Korea pays a harsh price for this provocation." Minister Lee responded, "I agree."

Lawmaker Lee also argued, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration must be completely differentiated from the Moon Jae-in administration," and insisted that while strengthening the mental resilience of military personnel, plans to resume psychological warfare against North Korea should also be considered.

Fellow People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong evaluated, "The very swift recovery of the debris is a good precedent showing how well our military is maintained and, especially compared to past administrations, how well it is performing," adding, "It was helpful that President Yoon, after taking office, restored various relations with the U.S. and Japan."