Seoul, Aug 20 (IANS) South Korea’s Opposition leader Jang Dong-hyeok on Thursday criticised President Lee Jae Myung’s remarks portraying the reduction of South Korea-US military exercises as a big decision by US President Donald Trump to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, calling it “an unprecedented moral victory.”
Jang, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, made the criticism at a party leadership meeting in Seoul in response to remarks Lee made in a post on his X account late Wednesday, hours after the allies announced their decision to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Trump’s orders.
Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises that send a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea.
“I feel that President Trump’s message is a big decision reflecting the serious thought he put into creating peace beyond hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula,” Lee wrote.
“We, who believe that the most perfect security asset is a peace regime in which there is no need to fight, share President Trump’s commitment and efforts to create the conditions for dialogue toward establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, even if that means scaling back the South Korea-US combined exercises and field training, and express our respect for that decision,” he added.
Lee went further to express his wish that Trump’s decision will ultimately lead to a stable peace regime on the peninsula through confidence-building and a resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, reports Yonhap news agency.
He also vowed to do his best to fulfil his role as a “pacemaker” promoting and contributing to Trump’s efforts as a “peacemaker,” a reference to a proposal he made during their first summit last year.
Trump’s instructions to scale back the exercises have been interpreted by some as a response to what he perceives as Seoul’s reluctance to help the US war with Iran.
In the Sunday post, Trump said he had recently asked Lee if Seoul would like to join the effort to denuclearise Iran and was told, “No thanks.”
Lee appeared to address that remark in his X message, saying the South Korean government has repeatedly stated its intention to actively participate in international efforts to restore free passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
“To that end, our government will continue to communicate closely with the United States, as we have done until now, regarding various substantive ways in which we can contribute within the scope that we can bear under the Republic of Korea’s laws and basic policies,” he wrote.
“I look forward to meeting with the honourable President Trump again in the United States in the near future.”
–IANS
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