Post-Martial Law Outreach to the Military
"The Military Today Is Completely Different from the Past... Our People Recognize This"
Visiting a Border Village Suffering from Loudspeaker Broadcasts... "We Should Avoid Actions That Harm Both Sides"
On the Issue of Sending Leaflets to the North: "Severe Punishment at the Government Level for Violations"
On June 13, President Lee Jaemyung visited the 25th Infantry Division of the Army in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and stated, "It is more important to win without fighting than to win by fighting," adding, "But above all, the most important thing is to create a situation where there is no need to fight at all, and that is the responsibility of people like us."
During his meeting with officials of the 25th Division that day, President Lee said, "Security is an essential and indispensable task for everyone to maintain the community," and continued, "I hope you take pride in the fact that you are entrusted with this important duty."
President Lee went on to say, "Recently, due to various incidents, your sense of pride may have been damaged, but our people trust in the loyalty of you soldiers," and encouraged them by saying, "You, our soldiers, have fulfilled your roles with loyalty to the nation and the people, not to any individual." This remark appears to refer to the involvement of the military in the December 3 Martial Law Incident last year.
President Lee also commented, "There have been reports that recently some soldiers have been leaving the service and morale has been low, but the public does not see it that way at all," adding, "The military today is completely different from the military in the past. Our people recognize this."
Visiting Border Village Suffering from Suspension of Both North and South Korean Broadcasts
Afterwards, President Lee visited Daeseong-dong Village in Jangdan-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which has suffered from North Korea's loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South. North Korea has been broadcasting noise toward the South since September last year in retaliation for our side's broadcasts toward the North. However, from June 11, our side stopped the loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North, and North Korea also ceased its broadcasts toward the South as of June 12.
President Lee said, "It is very fortunate that when we stopped, North Korea immediately followed suit and stopped as well, which allowed us to resolve the noise damage," adding, "Both sides making noise and harassing each other with electricity is not beneficial to anyone; it's unpleasant for us and for them as well, so we should minimize such actions as much as possible."
He continued, "We should minimize actions that harm each other without any benefit, and going forward, I hope not only the noise issue but also the overall tension between North and South Korea will be greatly eased so that economic issues can also be resolved."
President Lee also explained the process of ordering the suspension of the loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North. He said, "It would be good for both sides to resolve issues rationally, but based on past experience, there has often been backlash, with accusations of 'siding with North Korea' or 'problems with our security posture,' so I hesitated. However, thanks to the high level of civic awareness, there has been little outcry."
Additionally, when a resident mentioned damage caused by wild boars, President Lee told the mayor of Paju, "Mayor, please do your best to deal with the wild boars. If you try and it doesn't work, then mobilize the military if necessary..."
When another resident brought up the issue of balloons used to send leaflets to North Korea, President Lee recalled that during his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province, he had ordered the arrest of offenders in the act for handling high-pressure gas, and emphasized, "Sending illegal leaflets (pira) to North Korea is something the Ministry of Unification has already requested to refrain from, and if violations continue, there must be strong punishment. At the government level, if anyone is caught, they will be severely punished, so please make sure to enforce this."
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