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| Ministers attend an emergency meeting of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) advisory council for diplomacy, defense and unification affairs held at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. From left are Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and DPK leader Lee Hae-chan. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) planned legislative support to improve inter-Korean ties has hit a snag following North Korea's demolition of the joint liaison office in Gaeseong.
Even the ruling bloc is adopting a stern attitude after the North's hostile acts, while the opposition bloc, which had already been critical of the Moon Jae-in administration's engagement policy on North Korea, is increasing its criticism, saying the policy has failed to yield any results.
The DPK has taken a step back from its plan to ratify the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018.
"The motion regarding the National Assembly's ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration needs to be submitted by the government before the party reviews it ... There are no such discussions on the matter at Cheong Wa Dae or other relevant ministries at this moment," DPK spokesman Rep. Song Gab-seok told reporters at the Assembly, Wednesday.
His remark came a day after Pyongyang blew up the liaison office and Cheong Wa Dae made an unusually strong announcement against North Korea, condemning Kim Yo-jong, a top North Korean official and the sister of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, for her "rude and senseless" criticism of Moon. A senior Cheong Wa Dae official also said that it appears ratification of the declaration is "not feasible at the current moment" when inter-Korean tensions are rising.
The DPK's changed stance may also have reflected public opinion, as a survey released by Realmeter, Thursday, showed that 51.6 percent of South Koreans did not believe the Assembly's ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration would help promote inter-Korean relations.
DPK members also criticized the North, saying its destruction of the liaison office and redeployment of troops in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex directly goes against the spirit of the Panmunjeom Declaration and Sept. 19 military agreement.
"North Korea should stop provocative acts that help neither the South, nor the North," DPK Chairman Lee Hae-chan said, Thursday. "We can't tolerate acts that threaten our people's safety and insult us."
But he stressed the need for dialogue, which he says is the only path to peace.
The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) has been piling criticism on the government over its "inaction" toward North Korea's repeated military threats.
"Public concerns over the North's provocation are growing every day but the government's response is poor," UFP spokesman Rep. Bae June-young said in a statement, Thursday.
Kim Chong-in, chief of the UFP's emergency committee, said, "I think it is time for the Moon government to abandon its previous stance on South-North relations and attempt a new relationship."
Forty-six UFP lawmakers also submitted a resolution, Wednesday, to denounce North Korea for the destruction of the liaison office.
"We regard the demolition of the liaison office, which was the symbol of inter-Korean cooperation and the best achievement of the Panmunjeom Declaration, as an attack on South Korea," they said in the resolution. "It is a grave provocative act threatening the security of the Korean Peninsula and peace in Northeast Asia."
They requested for the Moon administration to promote a posture of military readiness, reflect on the current North Korea policy and take proper countermeasures through cooperation with the international community.
