Joo Ho-young "President Silent, Followers Spread Nonsense"...Afternoon Solo Protest

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized on the 27th regarding North Korea's shooting of our citizen, saying, "President Moon Jae-in remains silent while the president's 'doppelgangers' are spreading nonsense."

On the same day, Floor Leader Joo said on his Facebook, "President Moon's silence is becoming prolonged."

He stated, "When our public official was cornered for six hours in front of North Korean soldiers' bayonets, the Blue House did not take action. Even Kim Jong-dae, a military expert and Justice Party lawmaker, pointed out that 'the North Korean vessel should have been destroyed. The Ministry of National Defense wasted the golden time,'" and demanded, "As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, President Moon must disclose to the public when he first received the report and what instructions he gave to the military and the coast guard."

Floor Leader Joo continued, "Why did the military try to make it a fait accompli that our public official, who boldly identified himself as a citizen of the Republic of Korea even in front of North Korean soldiers' guns from the beginning, 'defected to the North'? Why did they try to create a frame suggesting that the person who fled because he disliked South Korea was shot by North Korea?" He added, "Kim Jong-un of North Korea stated that 'he was shot because he refused interrogation by North Korean soldiers and tried to escape.' It is the responsibility of our military authorities to clarify whether this is a lie."

He emphasized, "The president, as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has the most important duty to unite the people and protect their lives," and said, "No one who watches the scene where North Korea brutally killed our citizen and cannot utter a single warning toward North Korea can be the president of the Republic of Korea."

The People Power Party has been holding a relay one-person protest in front of the Blue House fountain since the morning, demanding a direct explanation from President Moon. Kim Seong-won, the first deputy floor leader, took the lead as the first protester, followed by lawmakers Kwak Sang-do, Jeon Ju-hye, and Bae Hyun-jin in sequence. Floor Leader Joo will also join the protest at 3 p.m.