Lee Jae-myung on Inter-Korean Tensions: "Urgent Consideration Needed for Inter-Korean Authorities Meeting"

Lee: "Leaflets and filth exchanged, 9·19 Agreement also terminated"
"Rising military tensions will also cause economic crisis"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, defined South Korea's leaflet distribution toward North Korea as an 'illegal act' and proposed an urgent inter-Korean government meeting in relation to the rising tensions between the two Koreas. He expressed concerns regarding recent incidents of filth balloons flying from North Korea and South Korean defector groups distributing 'ppira (leaflets)'.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at an emergency meeting of the Korea Peninsula Crisis Management Task Force held at the National Assembly on the 11th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the morning of the 11th, Lee attended an emergency meeting of the party's Korean Peninsula Crisis Management Task Force (TF) held at the National Assembly and stated, "Currently, communication channels between the South and North are virtually cut off, increasing the possibility of an accidental large-scale military clash," adding, "Both sides must refrain from additional actions to prevent the situation from worsening." He further said, "If we insist only on a hardline response, we cannot guarantee what kind of catastrophe might occur," and "The resulting damage will be borne entirely by our people."

He said, "The situation on the Korean Peninsula seems to be changing in an unusual way," and argued, "Both South and North must stop the 'chicken game' leading to mutual destruction." He continued, "Even loudspeaker broadcasts, a symbol of military hostility, have resumed after six years," and "The current state is very similar to 2015 when the two Koreas were on the brink of a crisis, which is very concerning." Furthermore, he added, "I hope the government does not raise suspicions of exploiting the security situation as a means to overcome political difficulties."

In particular, Lee emphasized, "The distribution of leaflets toward North Korea violates current laws," and urged, "While maintaining a state of readiness, active administrative measures should be considered regarding leaflet distribution." He also proposed, "Now is the time to focus on stable situation management," and "An urgent inter-Korean government meeting should be considered to ease tensions." While criticizing North Korea's filth balloon attacks, he analyzed that South Korea's leaflet distribution must be thoroughly prevented.