Ruling Party Urges N. Korea to Make 'wise' Decision

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Rep. Hong Young-pyo advised North Korea to make the right decision, Monday, and continue talks with the United States amid reports of Pyongyang's possible restoration of a missile test facility in Tongchang-ri.

In a National Assembly speech during an extraordinary session, Hong expressed concerns about the North's moves against the current peace momentum.

"If it goes wrong, (the North) will face a big hurdle for future negotiations. North Korea should make a wise decision to help all," he said.

Also, he asked other parties to jointly take action to "write a new history of peace and coexistence" on the Korean Peninsula.

His remarks came after the failure of the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi last month where they could not narrow their differences on the details of denuclearization. Afterwards, the National Intelligence Service and two U.S. think tanks claimed to have detected rebuilding work at the long-range missile test site.

Hong also stressed the need for Seoul to mediate dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington as it is a key player in the peace process for the Korean Peninsula.

However, he assessed the importance of the summit highly for its reaffirmation of the two leaders' determination to achieve denuclearization of the peninsula even though they reach a written agreement.

"Despite the differences between the North and the U.S., both sides raised the possibility of an eventual settlement," he said.

Meanwhile, he pledged to resolve societal inequality and economic polarization, pledging his party will provide legislative support for the Moon Jae-in administration's economic policies.

Citing China's move to invest 400 trillion won into research and development, he said the DPK will push to invest 1 trillion won into R and D and the manufacturing sector...