On November 12, rival parties engaged in a heated debate over North Korea and security policy during a meeting of the National Assembly's Budget and Settlement Special Committee. The People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for changing its North Korea and security policies with each new administration. In contrast, the Democratic Party accused the People Power Party of politicizing security issues.
Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party, expressed frustration during the committee's review of non-economic departments, stating, "The biggest disappointment is the significant differences between the ruling and opposition parties on diplomacy and security." She noted that perceptions of the Korea-U.S. alliance change with each administration, asserting that politics interferes with security matters. She added, "Whenever the Democratic Party is in power, North Korea influences changes in North Korea and security policy."
Na also criticized the government and ruling party for weakening security functions, citing controversies over the repeal of the National Security Law, the early return of wartime operational control, the transfer of counterintelligence authority from the National Intelligence Service, and the disbandment of the Army Counterintelligence Command.
She intensified her criticism towards Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol, referencing incidents such as the North Korean landmine explosion, the premature conclusion of the Korea-U.S. joint exercise 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' (UFS), and the failure to observe the U.S.-Japan joint exercise 'Kinnosuke.' She questioned whether the government was incompetent or misleading the public.
In response, the Democratic Party countered that the People Power Party was the one politicizing security issues. Kim Sung-hwa, a member of the Democratic Party, referred to the failure to adopt a resolution condemning the North Korean landmine explosion during the National Defense Committee's recent audit.
Kim stated, "Although discussions took place internally, the agreement fell apart whenever the People Power Party leadership returned," asserting that this reflects the reality of politics interfering with security.
He further criticized the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, claiming that the Defense Ministry already had information about landmines being planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in 2024, questioning, "What did the Yoon administration do? This is called incompetence."
Kim also defended against opposition attacks regarding the Korea-U.S. joint exercises, explaining that UFS involves simulations of various war scenarios and evaluating the outcomes. He pointed out, "The People Power Party claimed that 'Seoul was breached' based on the results of these exercises, which is a political misuse of diplomacy and security."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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