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By Kim Rahn
Political offensives are escalating against Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, over his relatively flexible stance on security and North Korea issues.
This is mainly because security could become a key campaign issue amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula.
But critics say such offensives are unlikely to affect the frontrunner's approval, because most of Moon's supporters are from the younger generation that are less sensitive to security, and this issues has not had much influence on elections in recent years.
In a live TV debate aired Wednesday night, four other candidates said Moon flip-flopped on the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here. He initially opposed the installation of the anti-missile system and said the next government should decide on it. But he recently softened his stance, saying the deployment could be inevitable if the North conducts more nuclear tests and China fails to curb these.
Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung's criticized Moon's "strategic ambiguity" over the THAAD deployment, saying a head of state should have a clear view about the issue. Moon answered, "We need strategic prudence for this intense diplomatic and security matter."
Pointing to Moon's emphasis on the talks with Pyongyang, Bareun Party candidate Yoo Seong-min asked him if he thinks North Korea is South Korea's main enemy, adding the defense ministry's white paper states this.
Moon answered that it was the ministry's job, not a president's, to label the North as the main enemy. After Yoo said a president is the commander-in-chief of the nation's forces and thus they need to have the same stance as the ministry, Moon replied, "The president in the South should resolve the North Korean issue. When needed, we need to hold inter-Korea summits. The defense ministry has its role and the president has a separate role."
The Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo said the Roh administration provided $4.4 billion in cash kind to Pyongyang when Moon was the chief secretary to former President Roh Moon-hyun, and this eventually helped fund the North's nuclear development which now threatens the South.
But Moon said former President Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy and Roh's engagement policy toward North Korea are what the nation has to maintain in order to improve the inter-Korea relations. "The North's nuclear issue has become much more serious and resolving it should be our priority. But without taking such policies, how can we embrace the North and achieve unification?"
Hong also attacked Moon's pledge to resume the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North and expand its size, saying this will create jobs for North Koreans, not South Koreans.
Moon countered by saying, "It will help South Korean companies make inroads into the North, and they will work with many companies in the South for raw materials, and this will help revive the South's economy and create jobs here."
Many citizens recognized Moon's flexible views about North Korea issues, saying highlighting confrontation with the North is an outdated tactic in elections.
"What good things happened when former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye treated the North as the main enemy? For our future, we need to initiate talks," an internet user, with ID nagu**, said.
"North Korea is an enemy but for a peaceful unification, it is also a partner for conversation," another user, ebene***, said.
