Yoon warns against spreading falsehoods about Camp David alliance

President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a strong warning against those who still support totalitarian communists, opportunists and those who fuel anti-Japanese sentiments as a means of inciting insecurity.

President Yoon Suk Yeol makes a speech at the 60th anniversary of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy ceremony at Seocho-dong, Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday issued a strong warning against those who still support totalitarian communists, opportunists and those who fuel anti-Japanese sentiments as a means of inciting insecurity.

“There are those who attempt to mislead the public, suggesting that the cooperative system between Korea, the United States, and Japan that came out of Camp David, would endanger our country and people,” Yoon said. “Our freedom is constantly under threat.”

During a ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy, President Yoon emphasized that diplomatic ambiguity implies a country lacking in values and philosophy.

“A diplomacy that is unpredictable to its counterparts not only affects credibility but also national interests,” Yoon added.

The president's comments seem to be a jab at his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who maintained an ambiguous position in relations with both China and the United States.

While Moon attempted to strengthen ties with China, including unsuccessful attempts to invite China's President Xi Jinping to Seoul, he didn’t seem to have a solid relationship with then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, regarding North Korea and Japan, Moon was clear in his stance.

During his five years in office, he developed a closer relationship with Pyongyang while taking a hardline stance against Tokyo, to the extent that Tokyo and Seoul imposed trade restrictions on each other.

In particular, Tokyo strongly protested when Moon, after taking office, overturned a settlement between the South Korean and Japanese governments made during his predecessor Park Geun-hye on "comfort women" from the colonial period.

When the Moon administration withdrew from the intelligence-sharing pact with Japan over North Korea, Japan lashed out at the South for being an unreliable partner.

President Yoon Suk Yeol takes pictures with those that participated in the ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

Since Yoon took office, the dynamics of the previous administration have shifted. The South has strengthened its alliance with Japan and the United States, while relations with China have become awkward.

The Yoon government has also taken a hardline stance against North Korea.

The stronger alliance between South Korea and Japan became more evident on Friday when both nations imposed sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyang's reconnaissance satellite launch a week ago, which both Seoul and Tokyo consider to have been a test of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

This development followed a stronger alliance that not only included military cooperation but also joint economic efforts, which was forged during the first exclusive meeting between Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David on Aug. 18.

President Yoon's comments on Friday also come amid growing controversy surrounding historical figures.

The Gwangju city government is at odds with the Yoon government, particularly the Veteran Affairs Ministry, over spending 4.8 billion won ($3.6 million) to construct a park commemorating Jeong Yul-sung, also known as Zheng Lucheng.

The composer, who was born in Gwangju and later became a naturalized Chinese citizen, was a communist who wrote the marching anthem for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and fought against South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Gwangju already has several monuments dedicated to Jeong Yul-sung, including a reconstruction of his birthplace and a street named after him.

While Gwangju argued that the park would attract a larger group of Chinese, the ministry has raised questions on whether it is appropriate for the city to commemorate a communist.

Another major social debate that has taken center stage is the Defense Ministry's decision to relocate the bust of the Korean independence army general, Hong Beom-do.

Some sources have claimed that the Moon Jae-in government attempted to reshape the identity of the Korean military by basing it on a historic figure who was anti-Japanese and pro-North.

President Yoon Suk Yeol purchasing a crab at Noryangjin fish market in Seoul on Thursday in support of fishmongers, whose businesses had been affected by the recent debate related to Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. [YONHAP]

Yoon is also seen as targeting the Democratic Party (DP), whose leader, Lee Jae-myung, has been on a hunger strike since Thursday in protest of the discharge of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The DP has been holding rallies against the nuclear power plant's discharge while criticizing the Yoon government for supporting the Japanese government's decision.

Despite tests conducted by the Korean and Japanese governments, as well as by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirming that the radioactive elements in the discharged water meet safety standards, the DP has continued to raise health concerns.

“The Korean National Diplomatic Academy must serve as a compass for our diplomats, guiding them to pursue diplomacy with clear values, historical perspectives and a national outlook,” Yoon said.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]