국회 대정부질문…日수출규제•한반도 비핵화 해법 놓고도 충돌
South Korea's National Assembly has kicked off a three-day interpellation session.
Some major topics were brought up on the first day, including Japan's recent export retaliation,... as well as the undetected North Korean fishing in South Korean waters.
Kim Min-ji has the highlights.
Topping the agenda on the first day of the parliamentary Q&A session on Tuesday was Japan's new trade restrictions against South Korea.
The opposition parties criticized the government for what they called an "insufficient" response,... asking why it had not prepared measures in advance.
The ruling party called for all-out efforts to resolve the problem and make sure it doesn't persist.
Tokyo stepped up export controls on key materials to Seoul used in semiconductor and display panels.
The government said it has been preparing for all possible scenarios.
"We are demanding the immediate lifting of the measures. And we have set up a task force that will look at ways to minimize the effect on local companies... and see what is best in the mid to long term. We are also planning to file a complaint with the WTO."
Also on the table was the recent security lapse that allowed a North Korean fishing boat enter South Korean waters undetected.
The opposition criticized the government for not noticing the boat,... and again called on the defense minister to step down,... while the ruling party called for more training.
The government reiterated there was no cover up,... but apologized again for the security lapse.
"There are a lot of factors that led to the failure to detect it. I believe there was lack of education and training. We also found that we need to bolster our system to improve coordination between the army and maritime police."
There was also some back-and-forth between rival parties over the denuclearization drive on the Korean Peninsula.
The opposition stressed that what must be achieved is complete denuclearization... to which the ruling party and government said that is, in fact, the ultimate goal, and that the Moon Jae-in government has played an important role in reigniting the denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S.
"It was President Moon Jae-in who created the conditions for the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. to restart dialogue. Depending on the situation, he sometimes plays the role of mediator or even steps out of the scene and this has resulted in achievements."
"Two more Q&A sessions are in store. Wednesday's session will focus on economic issues.
Likely to be at the center of the debate again will be Japan's export retaliation,... as well as the government's multi-billion dollar budget bill... and it's economic policies. Kim Min-ji, Arirang News."
