People Power Party criticizes President Lee's 'END Initiative' as "sided with North Korea's 'two-state theory'...negating the Constitution"

Lee Jun-seok: "Delusion of pursuing a dream that has failed twice, for a third time...endlessly naive dream"

Speaking, Representative Jang Dong-hyuk (Daejeon=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jun-beom = People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyuk speaks at a field Supreme Council meeting held at the People Power Party Daejeon City Chapter in Samsung-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon on the morning of the 25th. 2025.9.25

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The People Power Party and the Reform Party on the 25th criticized President Lee Jae-myung's 'END Initiative' for ending the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula, stating it is "an endlessly naive dream that sides with North Korea."

People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyuk stated at a Supreme Council meeting held at the Daejeon City Chapter on the same day, "It is as if we have sided with North Korea by saying we will not pursue absorption unification or any hostile acts in front of our allies who are working together to enforce sanctions against North Korea," and criticized, "It is effectively siding with North Korea's two-state theory."

He pointed out, "Our Constitution and laws do not recognize inter-Korean relations as state-to-state relations," adding, "The President, who has a duty to realize peaceful unification based on a free and democratic order, made remarks that appear to directly negate our Constitution."

He continued, "We all painfully know that the path President Lee has proclaimed is a path whose failure is evident," and criticized, "What we gained from giving and supporting North Korea in past governments was not peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, but the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, the sinking of the Cheonan, the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, and the landmine incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)."

He further argued, "What the Lee Jae-myung administration wants to end is not confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, but to push our citizens' lives and safety into crisis, to bring an end to the security of the Republic of Korea, and to bring an end to the era of freedom and prosperity."

Speaking, Representative Lee Jun-seok (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Park Dong-ju = Reform Party Representative Lee Jun-seok speaks at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. 2025.9.22

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Reform Party Representative Lee Jun-seok also harshly criticized at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, saying, "Although President Lee explained END as Exchange, Normalization, and Denuclearization, it is nothing more than an endlessly naive dream (Endless Naive Dream)."

He continued, "This is pursuing a dream that has already failed twice with the Sunshine Policy and the Peace and Prosperity Policy, for a third time," and stated, "This is not a policy but a delusion, and not diplomacy but self-harm."

He pointed out, "In relationships between men and women, there are cases where one person thinks they are confessing their feelings, while the other feels they are being tortured." He added, "The government continues its efforts to win North Korea's favor, but this is not a one-sided courtship, but rather akin to stalking."

He emphasized, "Clear-headed reality perception, not wishful thinking, and capability, not goodwill, protect peace," and stressed, "The END Initiative could put the security of the Republic of Korea at risk. It is time to wake up from this endlessly naive dream."

Earlier, President Lee stated in his keynote address at the UN General Assembly the previous day that he would end the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula by focusing on Exchange, Normalization, and Denuclearization. Yonhap News