[Editorial] Lawmakers Should First Address National Security Concerns

The pull and push caused by remarks by an opposition lawmaker on national security has begun to transform into an outlandish political standoff. The core of the issue, the existence of the North Korean military threat, has been completely sidelined in favor of a raging political feud. Because this feud could completely gloss over the realities of national security, we cannot help but to deplore this unreasonable political clash.

The public wants to know about the worst-case possibility of Seoul falling into the North’s hands within 16 days of a potential war. It is entirely normal for the National Assembly, a major organ of the state, to thoroughly study the feasibility of this war simulation. The importance of the task of investigating the existence of national security concerns dwarfs the validity of the ruling party’s allegations that lawmaker remarks on the subject amount to leaks of government secrets and the opposition party’s defense of the public’s right to know.

The long-range artillery pieces deployed by the North along the DMZ are a real threat. Why did the government successfully request the U.S. to delay the withdrawal of their multiple-launch rocket systems and anti-artillery radar units? Does that mean that the ROK army alone cannot hold the line? The war simulation Rep. Park Jin revealed was made by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a government arm. His revelations should not be considered a leak of military secrets or a hyperbole to scare the public. It is the National Assembly’s duty to evaluate how serious threats are, and what contingency measures should be. By doing so, it will devise appropriate measures and persuade the public for needed increases in the defense budget.

The ruling Uri Party should put its efforts into investigating whether the country and the public will be safe, instead of lambasting opposition lawmakers. When it condemns the opposition lawmaker who raises concerns about national security as if he was a spy, who can say the party has the stature of the ruling party?

National Assemnly inspections are made to examine the reality of the country. Both the ruling and opposition parties should stop their shallow politicking and commit themselves to examining security concerns. Whether Rep. Park Jin’s revelations are tantamount to a leak of national secrets or whether they should be protected as an example of a lawmaker’s legislative immunity is up to the law.