Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Rep. Lee In-young, left, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Park Ji-won
South Korean political parties criticized North Korea's launch of short-range missiles into the East Sea, Thursday, urging the North to stop disturbing the peace.
Rep. Lee In-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) expressed regret over the launch of the missiles saying it "escalates military tensions."
"The government and ruling party strongly objects to any military provocations in any situation. We urge the north not to stop the peaceful momentum created by the historic Panmunjeom Declaration," he added.
Rep. Choi Do-ja, senior spokeswoman of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said in a statement; "We strongly condemn the North's firing of short-range missiles as it breaks the peaceful atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula."
Yoo Sang-jin, spokesman of the liberal Justice Party said his party is urging North Korea to stop taking any further provocative actions and to return to the nuclear disarmament talks.
However, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) weighed on attacking the government over the North's missile firing, calling the situation a security crisis for the South.
Citing a series of recent diplomatic issues in South Korea, such as Russian and Chinese warplanes' violation of South Korea's airspace and the North's missile firing, LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn said, "The government's incompetence in diplomacy and pro-North Korea policies enabled a crisis for South Korea's security."
Claiming that North Korea showed its unwillingness to give up its nuclear weapons to the international community through the firing, he urged the government to immediately nullify the Sept. 19 military agreement between the two Koreas and replace the people in charge of foreign and security affairs.
