During his visit to the U.S., Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, identified North Korea policy as the primary reason for his trip in an interview with local media.
On Thursday, NK News, a U.S. outlet specializing in North Korea coverage, published an interview with Jang. He stated that he’s visiting Washington, D.C. to engage in substantive discussions about the potential developments in the Middle East conflict and Korea’s role in that process. He added that however, the more pressing issue is how we will address the North Korean situation.
Jang emphasized that he focused on convincing Washington that the Democratic Party-led South Korean government’s approach to dialogue with North Korea is ineffective. He criticized President Lee Jae Myung’s North Korea policy, asserting that it resembles begging rather than negotiating for peace.
Referring to the government’s attempts to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, he remarked that he believes no country in the world relies solely on dialogue when dealing with an adversary.
Jang confirmed that the Trump administration did not entirely abandon dialogue efforts regarding North Korea’s nuclear issues. He also stressed that U.S. approaches to North Korea should include not only South Korea but Japan as well.