Na Kyung-won, lead resolution calling for normalization of Korea-Ukraine relations
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Soo-yoon = On the 21st, the People Power Party protested against the Lee Jae-myung government's decision to withdraw additional diplomatic personnel following the recall of the ambassador to Ukraine in connection with the public controversy over the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, calling it an "emotional response."
Floor leader Jeong Jeong-sik criticized in a Facebook post that day, saying, "If the government's diplomatic line is not to break away from the West and settle with the North Korea-China-Russia alliance, such behavior cannot be explained."
Floor leader Jeong said, “The government says the withdrawal of diplomatic officials is due to the threat of air raids, but no one believes this at face value.” He asked, “The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than four years, so why take such a measure after a conflict related to the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war broke out?”
He continued, “If the Lee Jae-myung administration’s diplomatic line is not one of solidarity with North Korea, China, and Russia, it must be proven through personnel appointments,” and urged, “Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who is pro-North Korea, and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok must be dismissed first.”
5-term lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun also pointed out on social media, "At a time when the North Korean military is accumulating modern warfare experience, what kind of security strategy is it to increase conflict with a country that is actually fighting the North Korean military? If we lose greater national interest while trying to get an apology from the other country, it is not a diplomatic achievement, but diplomatic self-harm."
Re-elected lawmaker Park Soo-young also wrote on Facebook, "Ukraine could be a huge window of opportunity for Korean companies in the construction and information and communications (IT) industries once the war ends," and added, "Lee Jae-myung, who took the extreme diplomatic step of withdrawing the embassy from Ukraine, is completely opposite to the nonsense of the leftists who praised him as a 'diplomatic genius.' He is a 'diplomatic idiot.'"
Meanwhile, five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won proposed a resolution calling for protection and support for North Korean prisoners of war Mr. Ri and Mr. Baek, who were captured and repatriated during the Russia-Ukraine War, and for the normalization of Korea-Ukraine relations.
The resolution reexamined the decision to withdraw diplomatic personnel and specified the need to repatriate additional North Korean prisoners of war captured in Ukraine.
Rep. Na emphasized, "The actual combat experience and information of the only country that has fought against the North Korean military is our security asset that cannot be bought with money, and the basis for holding North Korea responsible for the 800 trillion won reconstruction market is based on that trust," and added, "The government must review the decision to withdraw diplomatic officials and normalize relations as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, a member of the Americas section of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, announced on Facebook that an audit of government affairs was conducted at the Canadian Embassy on this day.
One lawmaker asked Ambassador Lim Lim whether Korea and Canada's position in the joint statement adopted at the 2nd Foreign Affairs and Defense (2+2) Ministerial Meeting on February 25 (local time) in relation to the war in Ukraine, 'firmly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial guarantee, and calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops' still remains the same.
Representative Han said, “Ambassador Lim Gi-mo replied, ‘We need to check with headquarters about the Republic of Korea’s position.’ We gave him several opportunities to correct his answer, but he also added an additional explanation that we must comprehensively consider the ever-changing international situation, including the recent conflict between Korea and Ukraine.”
At the same time, he pointed out, "Even our Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in the diplomatic field cannot properly say whether our position on the war in Ukraine is changing, and I am concerned about how friendly countries such as Europe and Canada that support Ukraine will view us."
