The Democratic Party of Korea's presidential front-runner Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday that South Korea should reduce hostility with North Korea and pursue peaceful coexistence for the economy to flourish. Lee said that the first steps toward the unification of Koreas, which may seem like a distant future, were robust inter-Korean exchanges.
In a televised debate, Lee said peace on the Korean Peninsula is a "matter of survival" that has "direct repercussions on the economy." Under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the relations between the two Koreas have "gotten so bad that North Korea said it would consider South Korea to be a completely separate country." "There may be many reasons behind this, but Yoon's hawkish North Korea policies certainly played a role," he said.
Lee said South Korea should "create more opportunities for dialogue and cooperation" with the North while expanding the country's defense capabilities. "Unification may sound like a far-off goal, but increasing inter-Korean exchanges is where we begin," he said.
He went on, "At the end of the day, the government's job is to build peace, which is the foundation for economic prosperity."
Lee said that as the Donald Trump administration in the US has shown interest in engaging in dialogue with North Korea, there is ample opportunity for South Korea to turn the situation around.
One of Lee's two challengers in the party primary, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon, said in his recent conversations with US experts that he was told that North Korea appeared to be open to dialogue with the Trump administration. Former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo, also a contender in the Democratic Party's primary race, agreed that improving inter-Korean relations is an economic matter as well.
The Democratic Party candidates also stressed that a self-coup attempt committed by a head of state should never again be repeated, as the three reached common ground over the need to ensure that those involved are punished properly.
Lee said South Korea should make it more difficult for any future leader to impose martial law illegally during peacetime by "strengthening direct democracy," or empowering individual voters in the national decision-making process. His argument was based on his observation that Yoon had imposed martial law to tighten his grip on the country and violated the current rules restricting martial law imposition during peacetime.
Lee also highlighted the need to make sure that those involved in Yoon's self-coup or insurrection attempt will "never get released from prison."
Kim Kyoung-soo said that the surest way to end an insurrection is to ensure the instigators are properly punished, which is what he would do if elected president, adding that a special counsel to look into the botched self-coup attempt must be named immediately to uncover the truth.
Kim Dong-yeon said an amendment to the Constitution is necessary to prevent the next South Korean leader from attempting to impose martial law. The amendment should be aimed at curtailing the power of future presidents, he added.
The Democratic Party primary over the weekend might finalize the party's presidential nomination for the June 3 election by as early as Sunday, if one of the three candidates earns more than a majority of votes at the primary. So far, leading the primary is two-term lawmaker Lee.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
arin@heraldcorp.com
