"Due to Lee Jae-myung, US Designates as Sensitive Country" vs "When Yoon Mentions Own Nuclear, US Changes"

Kwon Young-se: "Pro-China, Anti-U.S. Lee Jae-myung's Seizure of Power Is the Cause"
Lee Jae-myung: "U.S. Felt Uneasy About Yoon... Made Him Reaffirm NPT Compliance"

Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, pointed to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, as the reason behind the United States' attempt to designate South Korea as a sensitive country on the 17th. On the other hand, Lee argued that during the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, the U.S. government had doubts about South Korea's compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), raising responsibility issues for the current government.

At the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Chairman Kwon said, "It is truly brazen to attack the government and ruling party over the U.S. Department of Energy's designation of the Republic of Korea as a sensitive and other country last January," adding, "The biggest cause of this situation is that the president was impeached, the acting president was also impeached, and Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, who follow a pro-China and anti-U.S. line, took control of the government."

Kwon Seong-dong, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. 2025.3.17 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

He stated, "North Korea is designated as a dangerous country because it is a state sponsor of terrorism that poses a direct threat to U.S. security," and mentioned, "Lee Jae-myung was proven in court to have transferred money to such North Korea." He continued, "He constantly expresses anti-American sentiment, criticizes South Korea-U.S.-Japan military cooperation, and takes to the streets with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which was revealed to be directed by North Korea," and criticized, "It is because such a figure is a leading presidential candidate that South Korea is being designated as a sensitive country."

On the other hand, Lee Jae-myung claimed that President Yoon was the initial cause of this situation. Earlier, President Yoon had mentioned in an interview around the 2023 New Year’s work report that "South Korea might deploy tactical nuclear weapons or even possess its own nuclear weapons." Regarding this, Lee said at the Supreme Council meeting that "On April 27, 2023, President Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed South Korea's obligations and commitments under the NPT and the compliance with the South Korea-China peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement in the so-called Washington Declaration," adding, "(The U.S.) strictly adheres to the South Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement. It was reiterated."

He said, "From that point on, the U.S. thought there was a possibility that South Korea might violate the NPT treaty. Therefore, the official declaration included clauses stating that South Korea will comply with the NPT and the South Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement." He also interpreted that the imposition of martial law without prior notice to the U.S. likely caused unease in the U.S.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. 2025.3.17 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Kim Jun-hyung, a member of the National Innovation Party and former president of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, offered a similar analysis. In a CBS radio interview, Kim said, "I think the main reason for this sensitive country designation is almost entirely due to the nuclear armament theory circulating in our country," and added, "It is necessary to properly identify the cause of the designation and confirm to the U.S. that the nuclear armament theory is not true."