On Monday, the People Power Party strongly condemned reports that the Joint Chiefs of Staff altered the criteria for determining North Korean military incursions across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in September. The party described the move as a self-inflicted wound on national security by the Lee Jae Myung administration.
In a statement, chief spokesperson Park Seong Hoon said that since the 1953 armistice, South Korean troops have defended the MDL through blood and sweat. Still, the country is now witnessing what he described as a dangerous compromise of national security, effectively handing the line and territory over to North Korea.
Park argued that the core issue lies in the new guideline requiring the use of the southernmost line when discrepancies arise between South Korean military maps and the United Nations Command reference line for the MDL. He said the change stems from what he characterized as the Lee administration’s subservient approach aimed at appeasing North Korea.
He warned that the measure has caused the MDL to retreat by several dozen meters in some areas, creating confusion and security vulnerabilities along the front lines. Park pointed to what he described as a troubling trend, noting that North Korea violated the MDL only three times from January to September this year, compared with 13 incursions in October and November alone following the guideline change in September.
Park further criticized the administration’s response, saying that despite continued North Korean provocations, including ongoing landmine placement, the government is sending dangerous signals to Pyongyang by adopting what he called a passive defense posture instead of maintaining a firm stance. He added that at this critical juncture, President Lee Jae-myung’s rhetoric itself poses the greatest threat to South Korea’s national security.
The spokesperson demanded that the Lee administration immediately stop what he described as conceding the MDL and halt actions that jeopardize national security and place South Korean troops at risk. He urged the government to abandon what he called the illusion that appealing for peace would bring stability to the Korean Peninsula.
Lawmaker Na Kyung Won also weighed in on social media, questioning reports that the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a directive in August instructing forces to rely on a more southern benchmark favoring North Korea rather than South Korea’s own military maps when determining the MDL. She questioned whether any military would ever tell its troops to give up territory simply because ownership is unclear.
Na directly challenged the Lee administration, asking who authorized the surrender of territory to North Korean forces without public disclosure or parliamentary approval. She said such actions would dishonor those who sacrificed their lives to reclaim even the smallest areas during past North Korean incursions.
She continued by warning that if President Lee were even to suggest illegal remittances to North Korea or quid pro quo arrangements tied to inter-Korean visits, it would amount to a serious legal and political crisis. She questioned whether Kim Jong Un was exerting pressure on Seoul and criticized what she described as excessively submissive policies, including opening access to Rodong Sinmun, pushing to repatriate long-term prisoners, easing sanctions, and restricting broadcasts and leaflet campaigns.
Na concluded by calling for the immediate withdrawal of what she described as a humiliating directive that caters to North Korea’s demands.
