Hwang Kyo-ahn "Almost No Church Infections, Thanks to Park Chung-hee"... Jin Joong-kwon "Taking Sides with Some Zealous People"

Criticism of Hwang Kyo-ahn's Facebook Post... "Not a Party Leader Evangelist"
"No Brain in the Party... Both Conservatives and Supporters Must Change"

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, who claimed that "there are almost no cases of COVID-19 infections occurring within churches," saying, "The party leader is not a preacher."

On the 29th, Jin posted on his Facebook, stating, "It is strange to side with some extreme factions within Christianity when reports of infections in churches are continuously emerging."

Regarding Hwang's claim the previous day that "the foundation for overcoming COVID-19 is the health insurance system introduced by former President Park Chung-hee in 1977," Jin called it "an absurd story" and pointed out, "In fact, it started with former President Park and was completed under former President Kim Dae-jung."

He continued, "If the opposition party had criticized former President Moon Jae-in's incorrect message telling people to resume social activities by saying, 'It is not yet time to lower our guard,' it would have looked very good," adding, "Simply blaming the administration does not produce the desired results."

He also said, "The party has no brain. From now on, just leave it to Mr. Kim Jong-in," emphasizing, "His entry is too late to have much effect in this election, but there will be another major election in two years. Conservative parties and conservative supporters must also change."

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, claimed in a post on Facebook on the 28th that "there are almost no cases of mass infection within churches." / Photo by Hwang Kyo-ahn Facebook capture

Earlier, on the 28th, Hwang posted on his Facebook, stating, "It is wrong to slander religion by exploiting public opinion about Shincheonji as if the religious community did not cooperate at all and as if churches are responsible for the group infections," and claimed, "Shincheonji and churches are different. It is said that there are almost no cases of infections occurring within churches."

In response, some political circles criticized, asking, "Isn't it distorting the facts when reports of group infections in churches are coming out?" On the 29th, Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, said in a statement, "Has the government ever locked down Daegu? Have infections ever occurred within churches? If confident, Hwang should answer," adding, "Hwang, who continues political strife even at the expense of citizens' lives, deserves criticism as the leader of a public party."

Meanwhile, Hwang also argued that the foundation for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis was the health insurance system introduced during former President Park's era in 1977. He said, "Former President Park established a social safety net that allowed citizens to live with peace of mind during crises through very innovative health insurance and employment insurance policies," and added, "Despite the government's initial failure to respond to the Wuhan coronavirus, thanks to the dedication and service of our medical workers, we were able to prevent a large-scale spread of COVID-19."