On November 7, the People Power Party sharply criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration’s North Korea policy, accusing it of being trapped in a peace fantasy following North Korea’s resumption of provocations with a ballistic missile launch into the East Sea after a two-week hiatus.
In a statement, chief spokesperson Park Seong-hoon strongly condemned North Korea’s actions.
Park noted that North Korea has launched another ballistic missile after a 16-day pause. This is the second such incident under the Lee Jae-myung government. He continued that while some analysts suggest this is a response to U.S. sanctions, the underlying issue is clear: North Korea continues to flout international norms and hold the Korean Peninsula’s security hostage.
Park criticized President Lee’s October 23 remarks, where he suggested North Korea had shown great patience for a very long time regarding the resumption of missile tests. Park argued that this dangerous perspective of President Lee, which excuses North Korea’s illegal provocations as patience, has ultimately led to today’s outcome.
He further stated that North Korea has already declared its complete unwillingness to denuclearize and is collaborating with China and Russia to escalate threats to the Korean Peninsula. In this context, the South Korean president’s comments praising Kim Jong Un for showing patience send a troubling signal to the international community that Korea’s commitment to security is wavering.
Park asserted that every action taken, from restricting anti-North Korean leaflet distribution to dismantling loudspeakers, halting broadcasts, and scaling back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, amounts to unilateral disarmament. Lee administration’s one-sided overtures and indifference toward North Korea are precisely what Kim desires most.
He concluded that it urges the government to redirect its attention from appeasing Kim to addressing the needs of its citizens. It should shift at least half of its obsession with North Korea toward improving people’s livelihoods and fostering political cooperation. It’s time to face the harsh reality and remember that peace stems from strong deterrence, not appeasement.