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| DPL floor spokesman Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Tuesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol was the "biggest threat" to South Korea's diplomacy and security, escalating their criticism of his remark on Iran.
In response, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) accused the DPK of acting like a "traitor," claiming the opposition was seeking to create a diplomatic problem out of Yoon's pep talk to South Korean troops deployed overseas.
During a visit to a South Korean military contingent stationed in the United Arab Emirates last week, Yoon said that South Korea and the UAE were in similar situations as the two countries face North Korea and Iran as their respective enemies.
Iran has protested the remark.
South Korean officials have stressed that the remark was made as part of efforts to encourage the troops, and Seoul's commitment to relations with Iran remains firm.
"The biggest threat to the Republic of Korea's diplomacy and security is none other than President Yoon," DPK floor spokesman Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan said in a statement. "The basics of diplomacy are to decrease enemies while increasing friends, but President Yoon is engaged in a diplomacy that increases enemies."
The ruling PPP sought to defend Yoon.
"Stop the traitor-like behavior of attempting to create a diplomatic problem out of the president's remarks encouraging overseas-deployed troops," Oh's counterpart Rep. Kim Mi-ae responded in a statement.
Kim said Yoon's remark was nothing more than a message that the troops should face up to the seriousness of the security situation, accusing the DPK of trying to take advantage of the issue for political bickering aimed at shielding party leader Lee Jae-myung.
"The president did not even talk about relations between us and Iran," she said. (Yonhap)
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