[President-Party Dialogue] United Party: "Dismissal of Park Neung-hoo, Resolution After Incident Ends Through Review Method"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 28th, during a dialogue between the President and the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, President Moon Jae-in effectively rejected Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn's demand to dismiss Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, stating that "resolution through review after the situation ends is possible." Leader Hwang also requested restrictions on arrivals from China, but President Moon responded, "It might have been effective in the early stages, but now it seems ineffective."

Jeon Hee-kyung, spokesperson for the United Party, held a briefing at the National Assembly Press Center immediately after the dialogue and said, "President Moon said that for now, the focus is on resolving the situation, and once it ends, discussions can proceed through a review process." On this day, Leader Hwang proposed the dismissal of Minister Park and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his remarks, but President Moon indicated that it is difficult at this time.

Regarding the meaning of 'review,' no further dialogue is known to have taken place. Spokesperson Jeon explained, "The United Party has exercised restraint and patience in not replacing leaders during a crisis, but Ministers Park and Kang no longer have the capacity to take responsibility for this situation. Since there is no sign of improvement and even lies have been added, we urgently demand their dismissal and the appointment of ministers with expertise for the sake of the people."

President Moon was also negative about restricting arrivals from China. Spokesperson Jeon said, "President Moon mentioned that since the special screening on the 4th of this month, arrivals from China have significantly decreased, and many concerns about infections from China have been largely dispelled," adding, "He also said that imposing restrictions might give other countries a pretext to ban Korean nationals from entering."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Leader Hwang focused on holding the government accountable at this meeting. Spokesperson Jeon emphasized, "President Moon prefaced his remarks on the ban of arrivals from China by saying 'if it were the beginning, I wouldn't know,' meaning that the situation has already passed that stage. Now, on the 28th, the situation has even reversed to the point where China is reportedly quarantining arrivals from Korea. This change in circumstances must be clearly acknowledged."

Regarding the Justice Party's attribution of the cause to Shincheonji rather than China, she said, "The United Party has always said that while the religious group Shincheonji is indeed a factor in the surge of domestic confirmed cases and these issues must be addressed, this should not be used to shift responsibility away from the government." She added, "We also reiterated that it is unacceptable to slander by linking a specific religious group with the United Party's predecessor, the Saenuri Party, and mentioned that there is collective comment posting attempting to associate the United Party with the religious group, which party leaders also agreed upon."

The supplementary budget bill (Chugyeong) is expected to be outlined early next month. Spokesperson Jeon said, "The government schedule for when it will be submitted must be announced," adding, "They said it will be submitted early next month, and we will ensure the supplementary budget is processed very quickly and urgently."