Rival parties clash over dispatch of military observation team

[Anchor]

The ruling and opposition parties are engaged in a dispute over the dispatch of an observation team from our military to Ukraine.

The Democratic Party of Korea opposes it, claiming it is a de facto deployment.

The People Power Party responded that they cannot understand the Democratic Party's attitude, which prioritizes criticizing the government over condemning North Korea.

Lee Hee-yeon reports.

[Report]

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, visited Ganghwa County in Incheon, which has been affected by the North's loudspeaker broadcasts.

He strongly criticized the government's proposal to send an observation team to Ukraine, stating, "Politics and state affairs are failing, causing residents to suffer from noise pollution."

[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Party Leader: "What are we trying to do by getting involved in a war in Ukraine? It could escalate tensions in the border area, and we don't know what might happen next."]

The Democratic Party raised their voices, stating that regardless of the size of the observation team, it constitutes a de facto deployment and that they must first obtain the National Assembly's consent.

[Jin Sung-joon/Democratic Party Policy Committee Chair: "They are openly discussing sending a war observation team and even psychological warfare personnel without passing the National Assembly's consent. I don't understand why we are trying to get involved in another country's war."]

The People Power Party countered that they cannot understand the Democratic Party's attitude, which leads in criticizing the government rather than condemning North Korea.

[Han Dong-hoon/People Power Party Leader: "They are not criticizing the North but are instead doubting, distrusting, and criticizing our South Korean government, thereby exacerbating public anxiety."]

They urged for bipartisan cooperation, questioning whether security should be used for political strife during such a serious time for national security.

[Choo Kyung-ho/People Power Party Floor Leader: "'Are you going to teach torture techniques?' They continue to spew out such unspeakable remarks. They are vehemently defending the North Korean military deployment under the guise of joint military exercises, revealing their pro-North Korea nature."]

Both parties have proposed resolutions condemning the North's military deployment, but they have yet to reach an agreement on a joint resolution at the National Assembly level, while the issue of 'an observation team' has emerged as a political issue.

This is KBS News, Lee Hee-yeon.