Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok took aim at the People Power Party on Monday, saying the party should not cross the line when it comes to national interest. "There is no ruling or opposition party in diplomacy and security," Kim said. "Please respect the baseline of national interest when mounting political offensives."

Kim made the remarks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly, citing a series of actions taken by the Lee Jae Myung government: launching what he described as the first-ever operation to remove North Korean landmines planted south of the MDL in the history of the DMZ, formally calling on North Korea to apologize for violating the armistice agreement, and demanding a clear correction after the Ukrainian government publicly disclosed the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea in breach of an earlier agreement.

He also warned against undermining the military. "If you demoralize troops carrying out dangerous operations inside the DMZ, would that not only benefit the North?" Kim said. "Even criticism of the government must remain within the framework of national interest, public safety and national dignity."

Kim also addressed a recent string of cyberattacks on financial institutions, saying the party would "respond with even greater force."

He said the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee had subpoenaed the heads of the five major banks as witnesses for the national audit into the hacking incidents. Kim said the party would examine whether the banks had invested sufficiently in security and staffing, whether they had systems in place for early detection of anomalies and containment of damage, and whether they had adequately protected victims. He added that the party would pursue measures to prevent future security breaches, strengthen victim relief procedures and focus on protecting the personal data of the public.


bigroot@heraldcorp.com