Former President Moon Jae-in attacks government's hardline policies on North Korea

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Former President Moon Jae-in attacks government's hardline policies on North Korea

Published: 10 Dec. 2023, 14:50 Updated: 11 Dec. 2023, 14:13

A picture of former President Moon Jae-in at his Pyeongsan Bookstore in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, posted on his Facebook on Saturday. [FACEBOOK]

Former President Moon Jae-in criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol’s North Korean policies over the weekend, emphasizing on Facebook that terminating inter-Korean agreements and dialogue has allowed North Korea to advance its nuclear program.

Moon recommended the book “Hinge Points: An Inside Look at North Korea’s Nuclear Program” by nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, describing it as essential for understanding the true nature of North Korea's nuclear program and the repeated failures of diplomatic efforts.

In his Saturday Facebook post, Moon highlighted the book's explanation of North Korea's nuclear development process from its early stages to its current level.

He argued that South Korea had missed multiple diplomatic opportunities to deter North Korea's nuclear program due to excessively ideological political decisions rather than rational analysis.

Moon said the book sheds light on the reasons behind the failure of the 2019 North Korea-U. S. summit in Hanoi.

Despite the technical and dense nature of the book, Moon emphasized its value in providing detailed information to the public, which had lacked accurate insights into the North Korean nuclear program, and in offering perspectives on the challenges of denuclearization.

President Moon expressed “regret” over the collapse of dialogue between the two Koreas since he left office during a Sept. 19 ceremony commemorating the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.

At the event, he said the inter-Korean military agreement was the “last safety pin preventing inter-Korean military conflict.”

Moon claimed that the Roh Moo-hyun administration and his own were the only ones during which no military clash with North Korea occurred.

President Yoon, his successor, has frequently criticized Moon's approach, arguing that it provided North Korea with time to advance its nuclear program.

During a convention last month, Yoon said that history has proven that relying on the goodwill of your enemy for peace is a dream and illusion.

He said genuine peace is achieved through overwhelming power and a resolute will.

Following the South Korean military's decision to annul a part of the 2018 agreement that imposed a no-fly zone near the demilitarized zone, North Korea responded by altogether scrapping the agreement and establishing guard posts.

Additionally, both Koreas launched reconnaissance satellites consecutively, indicating heightened tensions and a breakdown in diplomatic and military agreements between the two nations.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [[email protected]]