SEOUL– The ruling People Power Party (PPP) proposed Thursday that the National Assembly adopt a resolution denouncing North Korea’s recent drone infiltration, stressing a need to send a “clear message” to Pyongyang.
On Monday, South Korea’s military detected five unmanned aerial vehicles flying across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas. The vehicles were spotted flying in border areas of Gyeonggi Province, with one of them flying all the way to the northern part of Seoul. It marked the first such intrusion in five years.
“Our National Assembly needs to send a clear message to North Korea,” PPP floor leader Joo Ho-young said in a party response meeting. “Through a swift adoption of a joint resolution, I hope we can send a strong warning to North Korean authorities while demonstrating our people’s unity,” Joo said.
Joo urged opposition parties to join the movement, saying he believes there won’t be hurdles in passing the resolution as the main opposition Democratic Party’s leader, Lee Jae-myung, has denounced the North for violating an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement signed in September 2018.
Joo also condemned the North for violating the agreement and called on Pyongyang to refrain from further provocations.
“North Korea’s drone provocation is a clear violation of the truce agreement as well as the Sept. 19 military agreement,” he said, stressing that the agreement is alive due to Seoul’s “boundless patience.”
“If these blatant violations continue, the patience of the government and people of the Republic of Korea cannot but reach a limit.”
In November, the National Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the North’s military provocations and calling on Pyongyang to stop preparing for its seventh nuclear test.
Opposition floor leader Park Hong-keun, however, lashed out at the government for failing to prevent the drone intrusion and called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to apologize.
“This was expected since they stole the defense ministry headquarters and ripped up work spaces to relocate the presidential office, demoralizing the military’s spirit,” Park said in the party’s policy coordination meeting.
In line with his campaign pledge that drew strong criticism from the main opposition, Yoon moved the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into what used to be the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, and opened Cheong Wa Dae to the public.
On Yoon’s orders to firmly retaliate against the North’s provocations, Park said the president is unnerving the public with hard-line rhetoric.
“Rather than dropping bombs of irresponsible and hard-line rhetoric, prepare substantial measures to counter the security crisis,” the DP floor leader said.
“As the commander-in-chief of our country’s armed forces, apologize to the people over incompetent security and reprimand officials in charge.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency