President Lee Jae-myung's remark referring to North Korea's nuclear weapons as a 'last defense weapon' has sparked significant backlash from opposition lawmakers. Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the president for acting as a defender of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, while former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min joined the criticism.
During a press briefing at the Blue House on October 19, President Lee explained that South Korea's defense spending is approximately 1.5 times that of North Korea's GDP. He addressed counterarguments regarding North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons, stating, 'Are we going to engage in actual combat with nuclear weapons? That is a last defense weapon.' This comment has been interpreted as suggesting that the likelihood of North Korea using nuclear weapons or launching a preemptive strike is low.
However, North Korea's official stance contradicts this interpretation. In September 2022, North Korea enacted a 'Nuclear Force Policy Law' that legally defined the conditions under which it would use nuclear weapons. This law allows for a preemptive nuclear strike in the event of an imminent non-nuclear attack against its leadership, indicating that it could respond with nuclear force even to conventional attacks.
Na Kyung-won pointed to this law, stating, 'Even North Korea explicitly mentions preemptive strikes with nuclear weapons, yet our president has come forward to defend them as merely defensive.' She argued that in the face of North Korea's threats, including its testing of multiple warheads and hypersonic missiles, the president's comments appear to shield North Korea. She emphasized that conventional military strength, ranked fifth globally, and defense spending, which is 1.5 times North Korea's GDP, are rendered ineffective against nuclear threats, asserting, 'Nuclear threats can only be countered with nuclear responses.' She also called for the early return of wartime operational control and the restoration of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also criticized the president's remarks on Facebook, interpreting them as suggesting that North Korea's nuclear weapons are for self-defense and that there is no need for concern about them targeting the South. He stated, 'If one is not pro-North Korea, such statements about nuclear weapons cannot be made.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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