PPP's Jang Dong-hyuk Calls President Lee Jae-myung a 'Spokesperson for North Korea's Workers' Party'

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, directly criticized President Lee Jae-myung on the 20th, calling him 'not the president of the Republic of Korea but a spokesperson for North Korea's Workers' Party.' The day before, President Lee had told reporters at the presidential office's Chunchu-gwan that 'nuclear weapons are weapons of last resort for defense,' implying it would be difficult for North Korea to use nuclear weapons in actual combat — a remark that drew fierce backlash from the opposition.

In a Facebook post, Jang pointed out that 'while North Korea openly declares it will expand and deploy its nuclear arsenal, President Lee is leading the way in defending the North, calling the weapons defensive.' He countered, 'North Korean landmines blew off our soldiers' feet and ankles, yet North Korea is the one talking big. Is President Lee afraid of receipts for illegal remittances? Is he afraid to utter a word lest it be revealed he received slush funds?' He went on to argue, 'South Korea's security is collapsing under Lee Jae-myung's cover-up of crimes,' adding, 'Dragging the Lee Jae-myung administration from power as soon as possible is the only way to protect South Korea and its people.'

Criticism of President Lee's remarks continued to pour in from the People Power Party. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said on Facebook, 'President Lee defended North Korea by calling nuclear weapons its last-resort defensive weapons,' adding, 'The president's pro-North fantasies, detached from reality, put the nation in jeopardy.' Supreme Council spokesperson Park Chung-kwon issued a statement saying, 'President Lee Jae-myung must take responsibility for this breakdown in national security and apologize to the people.' Rep. Na Kyung-won said, 'If North Korea threatens us with loudspeakers, we must respond with even more powerful deterrence,' while Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun also stated on social media, 'We now need a fundamental shift in our policy toward North Korea.'

The smaller opposition joined in as well. Cha Ho, spokesperson of the Reform Party, said in a statement, 'Given North Korea's declaration that it produces enough fissile material for 10 to 20 nuclear weapons each year, there is no such thing in the world as a last-resort defensive weapon stockpiled ten or twenty warheads at a time.' He demanded, 'The president must correct the reckless thinking behind yesterday's remarks and reassess the threat based on the nuclear use conditions stipulated in North Korean law.'