US Presidential TV Debate D-1, Harris Emphasizes “I Went to DMZ” After Coming to Korea and Calling It “North Korea”
On the 9th (local time), a day before the US presidential candidate TV debate, US Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her policy positions on major areas on her homepage. There was also a mention of her visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea as vice president to stand against North Korea.
On that day, the Harris camp posted a policy outline that appears to be a sort of manifesto book titled “A New Way Forward” on its homepage, briefly introducing its positions in major areas such as society, economy, foreign affairs, and defense.
A brief section of the security pledges released on the website of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the 9th (local time). Screenshot from the website
Among the posts, in the area of foreign affairs and defense, the article emphasized that the current Vice President Harris “has confronted security threats, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened alliances, and engaged,” and that “as commander in chief, she will ensure that the United States military remains the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world, that we unleash the power of American innovation and win the competition for the 21st century, and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.”
He also emphasized, “Stand With Our Allies, Stand Up to Dictators, and Lead on the World Stage.”
In the post, he emphasized his activities during his term as Vice President, saying, “Vice President Harris has been prepared to be Commander-in-Chief from day one (of entering the White House),” and “She has been a tireless diplomat on the world stage, visiting 21 countries and meeting with over 150 world leaders to protect American values and democracy and advance American interests.”
Individual countries were also mentioned, and the composition was described as clearly targeting China, North Korea, and Russia.
The post said, “She has met with China’s Xi Jinping, making clear she will always stand up for American interests in the face of China’s threats, and traveled to the Indo-Pacific four times to advance our economic and security partnerships.”
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visits the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, Gyeonggi Province in September 2022. Photo courtesy of Segye Ilbo
She also visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone to “affirm our unwavering commitment to South Korea in the face of North Korean threats.”
“Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, she met with President Zelenskyy to warn him about Russia’s plan to invade and helped mobilize a global response of more than 50 countries to help Ukraine defend itself against Vladimir Putin’s brutal aggression. And she has worked with our allies to ensure NATO is stronger than ever,” he added.
Vice President Harris visited the DMZ in Panmunjom, Paju, Gyeonggi Province in September 2022. At the time, she caused a stir by incorrectly stating the name of South Korea, saying, “Our alliance with the Republic of North Korea.” South Korea should be called “ROK” or “Republic of Korea” in English, and North Korea, which uses the name of the country as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, should be called “DPRK” or “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” “Republic of North Korea” is an absurd term that is not used anywhere in the international community. It is like saying “Republic of Korea” as “Daehanbukhan.” At the time, American daily newspapers such as the New York Times reported, “It appears to be a mistake confusing South and North Korea.” Vice President Harris did not correct this throughout her speech, and the White House website, which uploads the contents of speeches by the president and vice president during their external activities, later uploaded them with “North” erased. At the time, domestic experts on the Korean Peninsula were quite shocked by Harris’ mistake, and this incident was talked about for a long time.
The Harris camp post released that day did not include any mention of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, similar to the platform and policies adopted by the U.S. Democratic Party at its national convention last month.
The Washington Post (WP) reported that in relation to this post, there was criticism from the Trump camp last month that Vice President Harris did not introduce policy pledges on the campaign homepage.
Reporter Kim Ye-jin yejin@segye.com
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