The Russian invasion of Ukraine was the topic of discussion for the two frontrunners in the next presidential election, but their approaches were rather different. While Lee Jae-Myung, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, spoke on economic issues, Yoon Suk-yeol, the leader of the main opposition People Power Party, criticized the administration of Moon Jae-in's foreign and domestic policy.
Lee attempted to concentrate attention on how the conflict will damage the Korean economy in an effort to demonstrate his capacity to deal with economic concerns. He failed miserably. In recent days, Lee has been spotted referring to himself as an "economy president" during his election campaign for president.
At an emergency meeting convened on Thursday, Lee stated that the government should be prepared for the war's impact on food security, which might include a spike in the price of agricultural commodities. "We need to be certain about the effects that economic uncertainty will have on businesses, and we need to prepare countermeasures for businesses that rely on imports and exports that may be affected by the war and related sanctions." "We need to be certain about the effects that economic uncertainty will have on businesses."
"Our stocks are plummeting as a result of a conflict taking place in a nation that is meaningless to us on the other side of the planet," Lee had stated only a few hours before the meeting. He made this comment while campaigning in Wonju, Gangwon Province, according to a press release.
Asked to criticize President Yoon for his position on the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, he responded, "The economy thrives instability." "Political leaders should never escalate a military situation," says the author.
Yoon has returned to his previous focus of attacking the current Moon Jae-in administration's security measures.
Taking issue with Lee's remark, Yoon tweeted on his social media account, "People are recognizing that war is not something that occurs to a 'faraway nation,'" Yoon said, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Neither a verbal or written end-of-war statement nor a peace treaty can bring a conflict to an end. It is necessary for us to have a strong alliance's cohesion as well as a strong national defense power.
For the last year, the Moon Jae-in administration has been advocating for an official conclusion to the 1950-1953 Korean War as a diplomatic tool to persuade the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
"This tragedy serves as a lesson to us since we are surrounded by powerful nations," Yoon said at a separate emergency meeting conducted on Thursday. "We are surrounded by powerful nations," Yoon added. "Russia's military intervention is a breach of international law," the statement reads.
To achieve a peaceful resolution, "we should work with free states, including our friends, such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and others," Yoon stated.
