Screenshot of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) online article dated the 1st (local time). 

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a conservative American daily newspaper, published an online article on the 1st (local time) by two American conservatives, describing the Lee Jae-myung administration as a "hard-left" government and stating that it could negatively impact the South Korea-US alliance.

Nicholas Eberstadt, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank in the United States, and Lawrence Peck, an advisor to the North Korea Freedom Coalition, contributed an op-ed to the WSJ titled "South Korea Shifts to Hard-Left Stance Towards the US."

They cited events such as the special prosecutor's search and seizure of Osan Air Base, which is used jointly by the South Korean and US forces, the investigation into the Coupang personal information leak, and the controversy surrounding Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's remarks about disclosing shared US-ROK classified information. They sharply pointed out that the current US-ROK alliance is grappling not only with the unpredictable Trump administration but also with the "recklessness of South Korea's hard-left government."

They also mentioned the "controversy over the special prosecutor bill to dismiss charges," and expressed concerns that the legislative reform discussions being pursued by Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party could lead to a concentration of power in the long run, which they deemed a common-sense concern.

They criticized South Korea's stance as seeking to reduce cooperation with the US security framework rather than expand it, citing its lack of direct support for securing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, its proposal of humanitarian aid and separate diplomatic dialogue to Iran, and Lee Jae-myung's criticism of Israel.

Furthermore, they stated, "The United States has many friends and allies in South Korea, but they are not within the Democratic Party," and assessed that the threats to freedom within South Korea and to the US-ROK alliance are likely to increase until Washington awakens.

Eberstadt has researched Korean Peninsula and Asian security at AEI and was a founding member of the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

Peck, a North Korean human rights activist, has primarily monitored the activities of pro-North Korean organizations and individuals within the United States.

International Desk, Hankook Ilbo