News summary on the way home from work, Subsletter Evening.
In today's (25th) presidential debate TV debate, the candidates' positions on foreign affairs and security seem to be revealed in relation to the Ukraine incident. This is because candidate Yoon Seok-yeol emphasizes 'deterrence' and 'peace through strength' while the 'peace system' and 'crisis overcoming leadership' are emphasized.
Let's start with the Ukraine situation and take a look at the security views of the two candidates.
Russian troops approaching Kiev
The situation is tense, and Russian troops are advancing and encamping near Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.
According to foreign media reports, Russian armored units advanced to a point about 32 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
This is what the US Secretary of Defense reported to Congress.
It entered via northern Belarus.
The straight-line distance from Gimpo Airport to Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu is about 32 kilometers, so you can guess how close the Russian army was to Kiev.
Pentagon officials say another Russian force that had crossed into Ukraine directly from Russia also approached Kiev but farther than the armored forces that entered Belarus.
The AFP news agency published an article interviewing a western intelligence official, saying, "It may depend on the situation of resistance in Ukraine, but Kiev could be captured in a few hours."
Ukrainian government officials predicted that Russian troops could soon enter the area outside Kiev, according to a Reuters report.
According to reports, Ukrainian Interior Minister Adviser Gerashenko predicted the Russian tank advance on the 25th and said that this would be the most difficult day of the war. I said I was going to go.
Ukrainian president 'stops Russian advance'
Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a televised speech that he had blocked the Russian advance in Kiev.
Zelensky also said that Russia and Ukraine would soon talk to each other about the cessation of hostilities.
“Russia will have to talk to us sooner or later and tell us how to end this war and stop the invasion. The earlier the dialogue begins, the less the losses will be.”
President Zelensky also noted that sanctions on the international community were not sufficient, saying that the world is watching what is happening in Ukraine from afar.
He ordered strong sanctions on the Western world.
Lee Jae-myung "Peace is the economy"
With the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity, the security views of the ruling and opposition candidates are being revealed. Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung emphasizes the importance of a peace regime and security leadership and differentiates it from People's Power candidate Yoon Seok-yeol.
The Democratic Party emphasized Lee Jae-myung's peace regime theory that "it is best to make war unnecessary" with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They are attacking that this could lead to security instability on the Korean Peninsula.
At the same time, there is also a strategy to reinforce the image of a 'competent economic president' and 'commander overcoming crisis' that Candidate Jae-myung Lee has emphasized.
Candidate Jae-myung Lee posted on SNS the day before (23rd) with the above contents. Let's see some of them.
This situation is even more worrisome as it could lead to a new era of the Cold War beyond regional conflict.
That is why peace on the Korean Peninsula is more important.
Combating security, such as the deployment of THAAD and a preemptive strike, is a self-inflicted crisis.
At the end of this article, he also ordered the government to take a preemptive response, saying that war could affect the supply and demand of raw materials such as crude oil and grains in the long term.
Democratic Party floor leader Yun Ho-jung also said at a meeting of the Central Election Committee, "If we leave the Republic of Korea to a candidate who uses dangerous words such as deploying THAAD and taking a preemptive strike at a time like this, the crisis will double and come back," said Cho Seung-rae, senior spokesperson for the election. In the commentary titled 'Peace, peace is the people's safety', "People's Power Candidate Yun Seok-yeol repeats only a "strong deterrence" like a mantra. "He shot it.
■ Peace is the economy, and peace is the safety of the people
(..) I am concerned that the Ukraine crisis will lead to a new Cold War situation.
At a time when the international crisis is rising like this, we desperately need leadership focused on peace on the Korean Peninsula.
However, candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, the People's Power, is repeating only "strong deterrence" like a mantra.
(..) Do not threaten the lives and safety of the people by talking about deploying the THAAD as a pre-emptive strike any longer.
Seok-Yeol Yoon "Peace through Power"
People's Power candidate Yoon Seok-yeol emphasizes "deterrence" and "peace through strength". ) is expected to be more convincing to the voters.
They are also criticizing the foreign and security policies of the Moon Jae-in government.
Candidate Seok-Yeol Yoon criticized on SNS today (25th), "For whom is the strong union and some women's groups opposing the ROK-U.S. combined exercise and claiming the withdrawal of US troops from Korea? I posted an article.
Let me introduce some.
It is not just a declaration of an end to war or a peace treaty that prevents war.
It must have a strong independent national defense force and strong solidarity with its allies.
(..) Who are the strong unions and some women's groups in Korea for, opposing the ROK-U.S. joint training, and insisting on the withdrawal of US forces from Korea?
People's Power has long advocated for strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance, and candidate Yoon Seok-yeol has said several times in the same position that "peace can be achieved not through words, but through powerful force."
At the same time, they are attacking Candidate Jae-myung Lee's theory of peace. Senior Spokesperson Eun-ah Huh attacked Candidate Jae-myung Lee, saying, "If you do not have power, you cannot protect the people's table."
■ Without power, we can't even protect the people's table.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung taught the lesson that 'peace is food' about the Ukraine crisis.
That's right.
When the ravages of war are swept away, the entire economic foundation of the people collapses.
However, the truth that Lee Jae-myung did not realize is that without power, he cannot even protect the people's table.
(..) The lesson is clear.
Without strength, peace cannot be maintained, and without strong alliances, neighboring countries with great powers are bound to become targets of aggression.
People's Power also commented on candidate Lee Jae-myung's speech at a rally saying, "It's a foreign country on the other side of the world, but because of this problem, our stock price is going down." "He is tightening the reins of the offensive.
With the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity, a confrontational front is formed over diplomatic and security issues.
a piece of the day
About 200 fishing boats are demonstrating at sea.
Fishermen from Namhae-gun, Sacheon-si, and Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, protested against the creation of an offshore wind farm in Tongyeong, using fishing boats.