Jeong Jeomsik: “Dismiss Jeong Dongyoung, Deluded by False Peace; A Prerequisite for Restoring the South Korea-U.S. Alliance”

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said on Oct. 14, addressing President Lee Jae-myung, "The minister of unification, Jeong Dong-young, is the only one denying the South Korea-U.S. tensions acknowledged by both the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and South Korea's ambassador to the United States," adding, "Minister Jeong's dismissal is a prerequisite for restoring the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik delivers opening remarks at a meeting on preparations for the parliamentary audit at the National Assembly on Oct. 6, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

Speaking at a press briefing on current issues this morning, Jeong said, "The dispute over information sharing between South Korea and the United States, sparked by Minister Jeong's remarks about North Korean nuclear facilities in Kusong, is undermining the South Korea-U.S. alliance. He must be dismissed immediately."

Jeong said, "Calls to replace the diplomatic and security leadership are emerging not only within the People Power Party but also within the Democratic Party of Korea," adding, "Minister Jeong alone denies both the South Korea-U.S. tensions acknowledged by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the ambassador to the United States, and North Korea's acts of aggression acknowledged by the Ministry of National Defense. That's because he is trapped in the delusion of a fake peace."

He continued, "Minister Jeong says the target of calls for dismissal is not him but the 2026-era red-baiting. Yet in 2026, North Korea is not only laying mines but also provoking us by firing missiles day after day," adding, "With this going on, what else can you call it but pro-North Korea to talk about peaceful coexistence and follow North Korea's two-state theory? Calling pro-North Korean sympathizers pro-North Korean is a statement of fact, not red-baiting."

Jeong also said, "President Lee Jae-myung said, 'We must avoid subservient and deferential attitudes between nations,' but the person who shows the most humiliating subservience and deference toward North Korea is Minister Jeong," adding, "Why can the president fight hard within his own party but not say a single word about the pro-North Korean Minister Jeong?"

Jeong also described the government's announcement that central administrative agencies, including the ministries of foreign affairs, unification and national defense, would be relocated to Sejong as "an issue that must be carefully considered from the perspective of national security." He added, "I am concerned that relocating the Ministry of National Defense to the rear could be interpreted as a message that Seoul and areas north of the Han River would be abandoned in an emergency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.