On June 4, People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung Ho stated regarding the North Korean waste balloon dispersal incident, “The People Power Party will push for amendments to the Basic Civil Defense Law to establish a legal basis to compensate for damages.”
Choo asked the opposition party to join them during the floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly.
This decision was made considering that under current law, even if damage occurs due to provocations like North Korea’s trash balloon dispersal, there is no compensation.
Choo explained the presidential office’s decision to suspend the 9/19 Comprehensive Inter-Korean Military Agreement until mutual trust between the North and South is restored. He stated that it was “a necessary response measure to protect South Korean citizens’ safety against North Korea’s trash balloon dispersal and GPS attacks carried out over the past week.”
Choo continued to criticize the opposition, including the Democratic Party, for blaming the government for North Korea’s trash balloons and strongly opposing the suspension of the 9/19 Comprehensive Inter-Korean Military Agreement as a measure threatening peace. He said, “I can’t tell which country’s party they are.”
He emphasized, “If we follow the opposition’s logic, we should quietly accept whatever provocations North Korea makes and stay still. A proper government responds immediately when there is a threat to the safety of its people.”
Addressing the opposition, Choo said, “I can’t help but laugh at them talking about dialogue when they couldn’t even properly react when North Korea blew up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Liaison Office building.” He added, “In the future, North Korea will try to provoke domestic conflict by escalating tensions in response to our government’s actions. The opposition should be mindful that their criticism of the government is already playing into Kim Jong Un’s strategy.”
