DP chief slams Yoon administration's 'politics of death'

The DP leader accused the president and his government of “pouring all of their effort into burying their political opponents” and urged the “restoration of politics that gives people hope for the future.”

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during his New Year’s press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The leader of the liberal Democratic Party (DP), Lee Jae-myung, denounced what he described as the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s “politics of death” during his New Year’s press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The DP leader accused the president and his government of “pouring all of their effort into burying their political opponents” and urged the “restoration of politics that gives people hope for the future.”

Lee’s comments echoed his remarks on Jan. 10, when he was discharged from hospital care after being stabbed in the neck eight days prior.

At the time, the DP leader called for “an end to warlike politics where one feels compelled to kill and eliminate one’s opponent.”

But Lee struck a more combative tone during his Wednesday speech as he vowed to “seize victory in the general election” scheduled to take place in April and “overcome the crisis in state affairs caused by the Yoon Suk Yeol government.”

The DP leader also called on the government to restore the emergency hotline with North Korea, saying the resumption of communication with Pyongyang is necessary to reduce inter-Korean tensions, which have risen drastically over the past month.

Lee also condemned the North for “continuing its armed provocations” in the East Sea and Yellow Sea and characterized regime leader Kim Jong-un as “throwing away hope for unification like an old shoe” and “making the North Korean people even more miserable than they were during the Cold War.”

But the DP leader warned against allowing inter-Korean relations to continue in their current tense state, arguing that the 1950-53 Korean War broke out due to small, low-level clashes along the inter-Korean border.

The Korean War began in June 1950 with a premeditated North Korean invasion across the 38th parallel that divided the Korean Peninsula after the end of World War II. The invasion was initiated by the regime’s founder, Kim Il Sung, after he received assurances of support from the Soviet Union and China.

Prosecutors have indicted Lee for being the intended beneficiary of bribes paid to the North by his deputy and the chairman of an underwear company, allegedly to secure his visit to Pyongyang during his 2018-2021 tenure as Gyeonggi governor.

During his speech, Lee also laid out new policies his party plans to enact to address climate change, AI's growing industrial importance, and Korea’s low birthrate.

The DP leader suggested that the government subsidize all children regardless of parental income, which he suggested could eventually cover their educational expenses and university tuition.

Lee also said his party will formulate more policies to help businesses adapt to economic changes led by the shift to renewable energy and increase investment in science and next-generation technologies.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]