Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are increasing pressure on the government to postpone a combined military exercise with the U.S., saying it would undermine the chance to improve inter-Korean relations which have shown signs of improvement following the restoration of communication hotlines between the two Koreas.
The Moon Jae-in administration is wavering over the issue after the North warned that the exercise would damage peace efforts engaged in by the leaders of the two countries and demanded a “big decision” by Seoul on the exercise.
More than 60 DPK lawmakers ― led by Reps. Sul Hoon and Jin Sung-joon ― released a statement Thursday urging the government to postpone the Combined Command Post Training to improve inter-Korean relations.
“We suggest South Korea and the U.S. thoroughly review postponing the combined military exercise scheduled in August, on the condition that North Korea comes forward for talks toward improving inter-Korean relations and a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,” the statement read.
“Though various political claims are emerging over our response to the North’s demand, we believe there is a necessity to delay the drill as an active and influential measure that can bring a decisive change in inter-Korean relations.”
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| Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, fifth from left, urges the government to postpone a South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise scheduled for August, during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Captured from Jin’s Facebook |
The statement came after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, said Aug. 1 that the exercise would “cloud” the future of inter-Korean relations, and demanded South Korea choose whether to “go ahead with the aggressive war exercises,” or “make a big decision” that was in line with the recent restoration of communication hotlines between the two Koreas.
According to sources, the drill is expected to take place from Aug. 16 and last for 10 days. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera and other ranking officials of the two sides held a virtual seminar for training preparation Wednesday and discussed the schedule and plans for the exercise.
However, no official announcement was made regarding the duration and scale of the drill so far, amplifying uncertainties on the annual summertime exercise.
The DPK lawmakers’ statement flies in the face of the party leadership’s opinion that the drill should take place as scheduled.
In a radio interview with YTN, Thursday, DPK Chairman Song Young-gil said, “If there are tangible discussions between the U.S. and the North or inter-Korean talks are fully resumed, this issue could be discussed. With the communication hotlines restoration only, however, postponing the drill is problematic.”
Song had previously said Monday that the drill was aimed at peace keeping, not an aggressive war exercise, and so the exercise should go ahead as planned.
Against this backdrop, the Moon government is wavering on how to handle the North’s tactic.
On Tuesday, National Intelligence Agency Director Park Jie-won voluntarily appeared at a National Assembly Intelligence Committee meeting and told lawmakers that he “understands the importance of the joint drill, but there was a necessity to consider a flexible response for a big picture of continuing the peace momentum and denuclearization.”
This drew criticism from the opposition, with Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the People Power Party (PPP) commenting, “The spy agency has become subordinate to the North.”
President Moon’s equivocal comment on the drill is also magnifying uncertainties.
Asked if the President discussed postponing the exercise, an official at Cheong Wa Dae said, “Minister of National Defense Suh Wook reported to President Moon that the military was consulting with the U.S. (over the drill) in consideration of the domestic COVID-19 situation and other pending issues, and the President ordered a careful consultation taking various issues into account.”
This faced the criticism that the President was creating confusion in the chain of command with his remarks.
“With the public paying attention to the decision of the commander-in-chief, he came up with a disappointing comment,” Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the PPP wrote on Facebook. “As the President takes an equivocal stance, the military is now seeking ways to postpone the exercise by making excuses about the COVID-19 situation.”
