Ruling Party: "The expression 'alliance' for Korea-US-Japan was a mistake... will be corrected to 'security cooperation'"

The Meaning Different from 'Alliance' Referring to Automatic Intervention in Emergencies

The People Power Party acknowledged the mistake regarding the expression "Korea-US-Japan alliance," which was raised as an issue by Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and stated that it will be corrected to "Korea-US-Japan security cooperation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, Ho Jun-seok, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement, "In response to the advanced North Korean nuclear threat, missile provocations, and the close ties among North Korea, China, and Russia, the leaders of Korea, the US, and Japan agreed last August to an unprecedented level of security cooperation. However, this is different from an 'alliance,' which implies automatic intervention in case of emergency." He added, "'Korea-US-Japan security cooperation' is the official position of the People Power Party," and apologized for the confusion caused by the inaccurate expression due to a practical mistake.

During the National Assembly plenary session's government questioning on the 2nd, Representative Kim criticized the People Power Party's use of the term "alliance," calling them "insane lawmakers." This led to a disruption of the plenary session amid loud exchanges between the ruling and opposition parties. The Democratic Party, including Representative Kim, maintained that they could not apologize for the expression. However, on the 3rd, before submitting the special prosecutor law proposed by Chae Sang-byeong at the plenary session, Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, expressed regret over Kim's remarks.