[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in said on the 27th, "I am grateful to those who volunteered at the frontlines, such as in Daegu, where medical staff are lacking," and "You are true heroes," White House spokesperson Kang Min-seok conveyed.
Spokesperson Kang held a briefing at the press center in the afternoon and stated, "President Moon had already instructed through Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo to 'reflect measures to compensate volunteers in the supplementary budget (추경).'" He added, "In that context, upon hearing that volunteers had voluntarily gone to Daegu, the President expressed his gratitude."
Earlier, when Lee Sung-gu, chairman of the Daegu Medical Association, appealed the day before, saying, "Please come immediately to the screening clinics and isolation wards," news came that about 250 doctors from Daegu had joined the volunteer effort.
President Moon also instructed the government, saying, "Many people are volunteering at quarantine sites without any obligation," and "Please support them as you would support good landlords." Spokesperson Kang added, "He mentioned that such support would further encourage volunteering."
Spokesperson Kang explained, "The 'Good Landlord Movement' spread nationwide after building owners in the Hanok Village of Jeonju declared it. The President thought that if compensation for volunteers is included in the supplementary budget, related movements would arise like a wave." He added, "Whether this directive will take the form of a supplementary budget or special support remains to be seen."
Additionally, regarding the mask shortage issue, President Moon repeatedly emphasized, as he did the previous day, "Make sure the public can feel the impact." This was a call for officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and related departments to directly inspect the field so that citizens can perceive the situation.
The government has limited mask exports to within 10% of production and secured 5 million masks as public stock for the public sector, distributing them to pharmacies and post office stores nationwide. Regarding this, President Moon urged again, "This should not end with administrative measures; officials must go out to the sales sites and verify."
Meanwhile, when Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo sparked controversy by stating the day before that "the biggest cause of the COVID-19 spread is Koreans coming from China," and opposition parties demanded his resignation, a senior Blue House official dismissed the calls, saying, "There has been no talk of his resignation, and it is not a matter warranting such."
Regarding a public petition calling for President Moon's impeachment over criticism of the government's COVID-19 response, which garnered over one million signatures, the official said, "We need to respond, but it has not been finalized yet," and "We will provide a finalized response," withholding further comment.
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