The People Power Party on the 12th urged the government to "face the harsh security reality on the Korean Peninsula and immediately wake up from a dangerous complacency about security that is preoccupied with catering to North Korea," after the North fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea.
Park Sung-hoon, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement that day: "North Korea has once again fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. It is an armed provocation carried out 23 days after last month's launch."
"This is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a grave act of provocation that directly threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community," Park said. "We strongly condemn the reckless behavior of the North Korean regime, which is raising tensions through endless provocations."
He added: "What is more serious is the government's disorganized security posture, which could not be more complacent in the face of such a show of force by North Korea. Even as North Korea openly escalates the level of its military demonstrations and threatens the safety of our citizens, the administration's gaze remains fixed on unrealistic conciliatory measures and a submissive view of North Korea."
"'Peace in words alone' can never protect the lives of the people," he said. "It is lamentable to wonder whether the government, which should be breaking North Korea's will to provoke through firm deterrence and an airtight South Korea-U.S. alliance, is instead giving the North grounds for miscalculation with unprincipled conciliatory gestures."
He also said: "Security is the last bulwark of the state and is directly tied to the lives of the people, so not even the slightest error or lapse can be allowed. The government must overhaul the strong South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and prepare resolutely and thoroughly for further North Korean provocations on the basis of a firm superiority in strength."
Earlier that day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it "detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired from the area of Wonsan, North Korea, toward the East Sea at around 5:20 a.m." It added that the missiles flew about 250 kilometers and that South Korea and the United States were conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications.
