By Choi Ha-young
The conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) criticized the Moon Jae-in administration for abstaining from a United Nations vote on an anti-nuclear resolution, Monday.
The largest conservative party said the government should have kept pace with the international society's moves against Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. "The Moon government abstained from the vote for incomprehensible and odd reasons," LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik told a press conference.
Rep. Chung strongly denounced the "diplomatic rift" between South Korea and the U.S. ahead of President Donald Trump's Seoul visit Nov. 7 and 8. "The LKP is very concerned about the administration's complacent stance on security. The abstention from the resolution, cosponsored by the U.S., has apparently eroded the Korea-U.S. alliance," Chung said.
On Friday the government abstained from two out of three UN General Assembly resolutions that tackled nuclear issues, as it has done so since 2015.
Of the two, the disputed one was "L35" that gained support from 144 countries including the U.S. It calls for "united action with renewed determination toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons."
The LKP pointed out that this year's L35 resolution had harsher criticism of North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, unlike previous versions.
"Foreign countries may see that Seoul is leaning toward Pyongyang instead of staying in line with the U.S.," Rep. Yoo Ki-june of the LKP said, citing four countries who voted against the resolution ― North Korea, China, Russia and Syria.
Regarding the row, Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the government refused to vote because the L35 resolution put too much emphasis on the damage suffered by Japan during nuclear bombing in 1945.
Kang said the government cast its ballot based on cooperation with allies including the U.S. "Since 2015, the Korean government has abstained from the resolution because it put too much emphasis on the damage that Japan underwent due to the nuclear bomb," Kang said during a National Assembly audit into the ministry.
She explained the resolution was not targeting Pyongyang but designed by Japan which is seeking to erase its responsibility for waging World War II. From 1994 to 2015, the government was in support of the resolution but Seoul decided not to do so in 2015 under then-President Park Geun-hye.
"At that time, Japan tried to emphasize its status as victim. The government urged Japan to include Korean nationals who also suffered from the nuclear bombing, but Japan declined to do so which led us to drop our support," Kang said. Including South Korea, 27 countries abstained in the vote including Austria and New Zealand, she added.
On Saturday, The Japan Times depicted the resolution as a "Japan-sponsored motion." After the endorsement at the UN General Assembly, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed satisfaction.
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| Chung Woo-taik |
The largest conservative party said the government should have kept pace with the international society's moves against Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. "The Moon government abstained from the vote for incomprehensible and odd reasons," LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik told a press conference.
Rep. Chung strongly denounced the "diplomatic rift" between South Korea and the U.S. ahead of President Donald Trump's Seoul visit Nov. 7 and 8. "The LKP is very concerned about the administration's complacent stance on security. The abstention from the resolution, cosponsored by the U.S., has apparently eroded the Korea-U.S. alliance," Chung said.
On Friday the government abstained from two out of three UN General Assembly resolutions that tackled nuclear issues, as it has done so since 2015.
Of the two, the disputed one was "L35" that gained support from 144 countries including the U.S. It calls for "united action with renewed determination toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons."
The LKP pointed out that this year's L35 resolution had harsher criticism of North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, unlike previous versions.
"Foreign countries may see that Seoul is leaning toward Pyongyang instead of staying in line with the U.S.," Rep. Yoo Ki-june of the LKP said, citing four countries who voted against the resolution ― North Korea, China, Russia and Syria.
Regarding the row, Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the government refused to vote because the L35 resolution put too much emphasis on the damage suffered by Japan during nuclear bombing in 1945.
Kang said the government cast its ballot based on cooperation with allies including the U.S. "Since 2015, the Korean government has abstained from the resolution because it put too much emphasis on the damage that Japan underwent due to the nuclear bomb," Kang said during a National Assembly audit into the ministry.
She explained the resolution was not targeting Pyongyang but designed by Japan which is seeking to erase its responsibility for waging World War II. From 1994 to 2015, the government was in support of the resolution but Seoul decided not to do so in 2015 under then-President Park Geun-hye.
"At that time, Japan tried to emphasize its status as victim. The government urged Japan to include Korean nationals who also suffered from the nuclear bombing, but Japan declined to do so which led us to drop our support," Kang said. Including South Korea, 27 countries abstained in the vote including Austria and New Zealand, she added.
On Saturday, The Japan Times depicted the resolution as a "Japan-sponsored motion." After the endorsement at the UN General Assembly, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed satisfaction.
