PPP blasts ruling party for silence on Georgia raid
Rep. Jung Chung-rae, chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, hailed the high-stakes meeting of President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump as one that yielded an "unprecedented" success in his first parliamentary speech Tuesday.
The talks, he said, laid the foundation for the advancement of the decadesold alliance between the two countries.
The ruling party leader, however, stayed mum on the recent US immigration raid in Georgia that targeted hundreds of South Korean workers, while the main opposition leader criticized his rival later Tuesday for failing to express either regret or apology, instead offering only praise for the ruling bloc.
In the parliamentary speech marking the beginning of the newest 100-day regular session of the National Assembly Tuesday -- the first session since President Lee took office in June -- Jung, a four-time lawmaker, said that Lee proved himself to be a strategist by rekindling Washington's interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula during Lee's meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Aug. 25.
"Lee called Trump a peacemaker, which led to Trump's remark that he had a great relationship with (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un," Jung said, adding that Lee's proposal for a Trump Tower in North Korea would have piqued Trump's appetite for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"The latest summit was not a modest success — it was an unprecedented success. It was an especially remarkable achievement (in talks with) President Trump, who is known to be hard to predict or negotiate with."
Jung also underscored Lee's role in boosting economic ties between South Korea and the US in addition to the military alliance.
"The manufacturing industries of both countries will achieve win-win (results)," Jung said.
Jung's speech, however, did not address concerns about the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's surprise crackdown Thursday on an electric vehicle battery plant jointly under construction by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, which led to the detention of some 300 South Korean workers.
Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of the main opposition People Power Party, pointed to Jung's silence on the matter.
Bringing up US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's remarks Monday that the detained South Korean nationals "are going to be deported," contrary to the Lee administration's explanation that it had reached a deal to have the detainees return voluntarily, Jang said Tuesday it was regrettable to see Jung in his speech "not expressing any regret or apology for the situation," and instead indulging in self-praise.
Jang's conservative party has largely been critical of the Lee-Trump summit for failing to reach a compromise over thorny trade issues amid tariff pressure.
Jung, on the other hand, said in his speech that the days are gone when national economic growth tended to gain steam under conservative governments.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol "not only faced impeachment and imprisonment, but also resulted in a disastrous diplomatic failure and economic collapse," Jung said.
Regarding Seoul’s efforts to engage North Korea, Jung said economic cooperation will be crucial to rebuilding inter-Korean ties.
Highlighting the liberal government's recent proposal to increase the 2026 budget for inter-Korean projects by threefold to 178.9 billion won ($128.9 million) — part of a 1 trillion-won budget allocation for inter-Korean cooperation for next year — Jung said the proposal signals the Lee administration's "resolve" to improve inter-Korean ties through economic cooperation.
He added that the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting that is to be hosted by South Korea in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, will set the stage for Lee to reaffirm his willingness to achieve peace in Northeast Asia.
Meanwhile, a motion to lift conservative lawmaker Rep. Kweon Seong-dong's immunity from arrest was presented to the plenary session, opening the door for a vote to allow the arrest of the former People Power Party whip to take place within three days. The vote is expected to take place Thursday. The motion was filed by the Justice Ministry on Sept. 1.
The special counsel accused Kweon of illicitly receiving political funds from the Unification Church in violation of the Political Funds Act. A bill to strip Kweon of his immunity from arrest will require a majority of votes at the National Assembly. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds 166 seats out of 298 at the National Assembly.
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