Marking the 5th anniversary of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration, former President Moon Jae-in said of the Yoon Seok-yeol government’s inter-Korean relations, “The progressive governments led by Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in had significantly better security and economic performance,” adding, “The conservative government is good at security. ‘, ‘It is time to break away from the fabricated myth that ‘conservative governments are better for the economy’.’
Former President Moon announced this at the ‘5th Anniversary Event of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration’ held at Building 63 in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of the 19th. In his greeting, former President Moon said, “It is unfortunate and confusing to think about the current inter-Korean relationship, which has collapsed to the point where one wonders when such a day has ever happened.” He added, “The failure to make further progress in the Pyongyang Joint Declaration is an irreversible step toward practical results.” “I feel regretful that I didn’t make it that far,” he confessed.
Former President Moon said that if the continuous improvement in inter-Korean relations had continued, inter-Korean relations would have been completely different from what they are now. “South and North Korea would have coexisted and fostered peace, and we would have been able to expect peaceful unification someday.” Former President Moon said, “The shorter the gap in the continuation, the lower the military crisis on the Korean Peninsula will be, and the closer South and North Korea will come to peace,” adding, “This is the first lesson that the Panmunjom Declaration and Pyongyang Joint Declaration give us today.” He said.
Former President Moon also argued that ‘peace is economics.’ Former President Moon said, “If we compare successive governments at a macro level, from the Kim Young-sam government, which started the civilian government, to the current Yoon Seok-yeol government, the economic performance during the period when inter-Korean relations were relatively peaceful was always better than when it was not.” . In response to the claim that we are the world’s top 10 economic powerhouse, former President Moon said, “The only time our GDP entered the world’s top 10 was during the Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations.” He added, “Last year, our economy ranked 13th in the world, falling out of the top 10.” “It happened,” he pointed out.
Former President Moon also said that per capita national income increased the most during the Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in administrations. The Roh Moo-hyun administration ushered in an era of per capita income of $20,000, while the Moon Jae-in administration ushered in an era of $30,000 per capita income. On the other hand, he said, national income stagnated or even decreased during the government period when the continuation (of improving inter-Korean relations) was suspended. “In 2021, the last year of the Moon Jae-in administration, per capita national income exceeded $35,000, compared to 30,000 last year.” “National income has fallen to $2,000,” he said.
In response to the claim that the reason was the exchange rate, former President Moon emphasized, “The fact that the exchange rate has risen means that the evaluation of our economy has worsened,” and added, “When the continuous run was stopped, the exchange rate used to rise.” . He self-assessed that the times when the national default risk index, or CDS premium index, was lowest were also during the Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations.
The Moon Jae-in administration also said that almost all economic indicators, including export growth, trade surplus, foreign exchange reserves, prices, stock index, and foreign investment, were better than now. In response to the counterargument that ‘it was the effect of deficit financing that greatly increased the national debt’, former President Moon said, “We recorded the largest fiscal surplus in history for two years before Corona, and deficit financing, like all other countries, was used to ensure the safety of citizens during the Corona period.” “It was to protect people’s livelihoods,” he said, adding, “Even during the COVID-19 period, the increase in national debt ratio was at the lowest level among OECD countries.” He criticized, “On the contrary, the fiscal deficit has grown larger under the current government, and there is a fundamental difference in that the deficit is also due to a decrease in tax revenue due to the economic slump and a tax cut for the rich.”
Citing the fact that the country is one of the most dependent on trade in the world, former President Moon said, “When inter-Korean relations are peaceful and balanced diplomacy is carried out with neighboring countries, Korea’s risk is reduced and the export economy is bound to become vibrant.” “, referring to the diplomacy of the Yoon Seok-yeol government, “If the balance of diplomacy is lost due to excessive focus on camp diplomacy,
He also emphasized the importance of dialogue between North and South Korea. Former President Moon said, “It seems like there is no atmosphere for dialogue right now,” and looking back, six years ago, the situation in 2017, when the Moon Jae-in administration was launched, was much more severe than it is now. I thought of North Korea’s repeated nuclear tests, successive missile provocations that extended the range from short to long range beyond the Japanese archipelago to the continental United States, strong sanctions against North Korea, and verbal bombing between North Korea and the United States. He said, “At the time, there was information that the U.S. was reviewing military options and war scenarios, which was later confirmed as fact by the testimony of U.S. officials,” adding, “At the time, the war crisis on the Korean Peninsula was a real situation.”
Former President Moon said, “However, the Moon메이저사이트 Jae-in administration prepared for dialogue, believing that an opportunity for dialogue would definitely come at the end of the crisis, and that as the crisis deepened, the opportunity for dialogue would come closer.” He added, “The way to prevent the crisis in inter-Korean relations from escalating into conflict is “Because there is nothing to do but talk,” he said. Former President Moon said, “We must respond sternly to North Korea’s ongoing provocations,” adding, “But in the end, we have no choice but to resolve the crisis in inter-Korean relations through dialogue.”
Former President Moon also emphasized that the most important outcome of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration was the inter-Korean military agreement signed as an ancillary agreement. He said, “Among the previous governments, the Roh Moo-hyun government and the Moon Jae-in government are the only ones that have not had a single military conflict. Even now, when inter-Korean relations are collapsing again, the inter-Korean military agreement is serving as the final safety pin to prevent military conflict between the two Koreas.” He emphasized. Former President Moon said, “Abolishing the inter-Korean military agreement would be irresponsible, removing the last safety pin,” and added, “As relations worsen and military tensions increase, both South and North Korea must protect and comply with the military agreement to the end to prevent the worst.” “We need to find a clue to dialogue,” he urged.
Meanwhile, on his first visit to Seoul since leaving office, former President Moon visited Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was hospitalized and fasting before the September 19 events. Han Min-soo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said that former President Moon comforted him for about 23 minutes starting at 3:30 p.m. “He asked the party leader’s chief of staff Chun Jun-ho and the hospital director about the leader’s health, and people around him said that the more times like this happen, the more people should stop fasting, especially the hospital director.” “The hospital needs to make it possible for the CEO to stop fasting. He even said things like, ‘Please let him stop.’”Former President Moon said, ‘I came here because I wanted to comfort and dissuade him from fasting,’ ‘CEO Jae-myung Lee is no longer alone, so he is not alone anymore,’ and ‘Many people are feeling sad, so he must quickly stop fasting and start again. A spokesperson said that he had said several times to the effect that “we need to be active.” Representative Lee Jae-myeong said, “It feels like an endless abyss. I feel like the world is falling apart. That’s why I had no choice but to fast,” and then added, “President Moon called me and told me to stop, and even made me take this step. “I am truly sorry,” a spokesperson said.
