Democratic Party’s Response to North Korean Provocation Debate

With North Korea’s continued provocations, there’s a growing concern that the internal conflicts within South Korea could pose a serious threat to national security. At the start of the year, Kim Jong-un ordered the “pacification of all South Korean territories,” followed by the firing of about 200 coastal artillery shells on the 5th and around 60 on the 6th into the northwestern island region. The Democratic Party is increasingly criticizing the government, demanding the abandonment of its hardline policy toward North Korea.The People’s Power Party called out the Democratic Party for blaming the Yoon Seok-yeol government after Kim Jong-un’s remarks about South Korea, urging them to “abandon their naive, blind, and even dangerous approach of appeasing North Korea.” Earlier, the Democratic Party criticized the Yoon Seok-yeol government’s unilateral hardline policy towards North Korea, arguing that it was escalating military tension on the Korean Peninsula, while also condemning North Korea’s military provocations.

The Korean Peninsula is on the brink of a crisis. A single misfired shell could potentially escalate into a full-scale war. Kim Jong-un openly advocates for the takeover of South Korea through nuclear means. Even without nuclear weapons, North Korea is prepared to carry out conventional provocations at any time. In addition to the fear of a large-scale invasion, there are also concerns about localized provocations intended to stir up internal conflicts in South Korea ahead of the general elections. Complacency could lead to disaster.

It’s undeniable that North Korea is responsible for the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Despite numerous negotiations and agreements between the two Koreas, North Korea has repeatedly violated and scrapped them. While engaging in dialogue, North Korea has been developing nuclear weapons behind the scenes, declared the nullification of the 9·19 Military Agreement, violated UN sanctions by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and recently provoked with coastal artillery in the northwestern islands.

To deter North Korean provocations, peace through strength is an inevitable choice. Peace through strength involves a tough response, and if the Democratic Party wants to criticize this, they need to propose an alternative. The Democratic Party said that “we need to start making real efforts to maintain a sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula,” but why don’t they understand that such vague logic, akin to Confucian sayings, not only fails to bring peace but also jeopardizes national security?

By. Asia Today