[Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min has sparked controversy by promoting South Korea's response capabilities to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) while comparing the 'number of deaths' with other countries facing severe situations such as Spain. Critics say this dampens the diplomatic atmosphere where President Moon Jae-in is emphasizing international cooperation in COVID-19 response based on the spirit of 'cooperation and solidarity.'
On the afternoon of the 8th, Chief of Staff Noh cited data compiled by the international statistics site Worldometer on his Facebook, stating, "The number of deaths per one million people in our country is 4, ranking 27th among the 36 OECD member countries, following Spain (300), Italy (283), France (158), the United Kingdom (91), and the United States (39)."
He ranked countries based on the 'number of deaths' amid the global emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that South Korea, with a relatively low number of deaths, holds an advantage over other countries.
Chief of Staff Noh added, "South Korea's effective response to COVID-19 is clearly reflected in objective comparisons with OECD member countries, but there is still a long way to go," and wrote, "The Moon Jae-in administration will make every effort until COVID-19 is eradicated."
However, this has been criticized as disrespectful to other countries suffering from increasing deaths due to COVID-19. On the 24th of last month, President Moon consoled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose country has the highest number of deaths, saying, "The COVID-19 crisis is a global challenge and not limited to one country, so international cooperation and solidarity are more necessary than ever." In a situation where both countries promised human and economic exchanges and discussed COVID-19 response support at the highest level, Chief of Staff Noh highlighted Spain's death toll.
Moreover, even if the death rate is statistically lower compared to other countries, it has been pointed out that such remarks could cause pain to the approximately 200 domestic COVID-19 victims and their bereaved families. In the past, during the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, then KBS News Director Kim Si-gon sparked major controversy by comparing the number of deaths from the Sewol ferry accident to traffic accident fatalities.
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