Han Dong-hoon slams Lee over SNS remarks: "Are critics traitors to the nation?"

[The Financial News] After opposition figures criticized President Lee Jae-myung’s comments regarding the State of Israel, Lee hit back by calling them "traitors to the nation." Former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon joined the chorus of criticism, denouncing what he called "reckless bravado for domestic political gain" by the president.
On the 12th, Han wrote on social media that the president had "recklessly jumped into the Middle East wars without so much as a signal, when it is a conflict we should avoid being entangled in for the sake of our national interest, and now calls anyone who criticizes that a 'traitor to the nation.'"
Han went on, "During the war in Ukraine, President Lee said, 'Ukraine pursued a foreign policy that provoked Russia, and that is why the two countries clashed.'" He added, "On the Cross-Strait issue with China, he said, 'You can just say xie xie here and xie xie there,' implying that flattering both sides would suffice."
He then asked, "Back then he showed no interest in other countries’ sovereignty or human rights, so are we to believe he suddenly cares now?" Han argued, "Universal human rights abroad are extremely important, but the national interest of the Republic of Korea matters even more. Yet by President Lee’s standards, saying this makes you a 'traitor to the nation.'"
Han continued, "When those in power display reckless bravado in the face of national interests that must be protected amid a cold and unforgiving international order, it is the people who suffer." He urged, "Stop this reckless bravado for domestic political gain. Is there really no one in this administration who will step in and stop President Lee when he charges down such a wrong path as if engaged in a test of wills?"
Han concluded his post by adding, "Those who damage our national interest for their own selfish gain are the ones who cancel indictments to avoid punishment for their own crimes and thereby undermine the judicial system."
Earlier the same day on X, formerly known as Twitter, President Lee wrote, "There are many who, while engaging in acts that betray the nation, still do not realize that harming the national interest for selfish gain is wrong," adding, "We call those who damage our national interest for selfish gain traitors to the nation." His remarks were widely interpreted as targeting opposition figures who had recently criticized his comments about the State of Israel.
Previously, on the 10th, President Lee had shared on X a video showing soldiers from the State of Israel dropping a body from the roof of a building. He wrote, "We need to find out whether this is true and, if it is, what measures have been taken," and added, "The forced mobilization of comfort women that we condemn, the massacre of Jews, and killings committed during wartime are no different from one another."
When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel protested, the People Power Party (PPP) launched a full-scale offensive. In a commentary issued that day, Choi Bo-yoon, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, criticized, "President Lee’s irresponsible behavior on social media has led to a diplomatic disaster," and argued, "With this kind of 'selective human rights'—keeping silent on North Korea while lecturing the international community—we can protect neither our national interest, nor our diplomacy, nor human rights."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter