[Summary] "President, please hold a press conference" Anger from the opposition over President Moon's silence...

Yeo "Where is the President?", "Hiding because of incompetence" Fierce Criticism
Official Briefings: Moon 6 times, Park 4 times... Similar Levels

President Moon Jae-in is attending and speaking at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] As President Moon Jae-in, who emphasized 'communication,' has shown a lack of communication in various political conflicts and current issues, the opposition parties are pouring out criticism, calling him a "cowardly and irresponsible president" and demanding "stop hiding."

Critics point out that the president remains silent and only watches passively on urgent matters that need immediate discussion, such as real estate issues, economic recession, the conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, and the promotion of the new airport in Gadeokdo.

On the 23rd, Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, criticized on his Facebook, saying, "Mr. President, please hold a press conference," and asked, "Where are you now, Mr. President? If you continue selective silence, how do you intend to handle the uncontrollable public anger that will follow?"

Kim added, "With skyrocketing house prices, soaring jeonse (long-term deposit lease) prices, tax bombs, job annihilation, economic collapse, and rampant privilege and unfairness, the suffering of the people has reached its peak," and questioned, "The ugly fight between the Prosecutor General and the Justice Minister, caused by excessive power exercised by the Ministry of Justice, has been ongoing for nearly a year, causing stress to the entire nation, yet the president hides behind the scenes. Is this really a normal country?"

Kim Geun-sik, chairman of the Seoul Songpa-byeong district party committee from the same party, also criticized on Facebook, saying, "The country is being torn apart and is in chaos. The people who care about the country want the president to step forward," but "the president neither appears, steps forward, states his position, nor offers solutions."

He continued, "All we hear are news about video summit meetings. The president says he is taking a day off today because he is tired from the video meetings. Where on earth is the president and what is he doing?" and harshly criticized, "The president who shirks difficult and complex issues and takes a day off after holding video meetings with foreign leaders. He is hiding because he is incompetent. A cowardly president. An irresponsible president."

It is known that President Moon went on vacation on the day marking the 10th anniversary of North Korea's 'Yeonpyeong Island shelling provocation' without issuing a separate message.

In response, Kim posted another message later, strongly criticizing the government and ruling party, saying, "If you are normal, you cancel drinking appointments and come home early to solemnly commemorate on the family's memorial day," and called them "dreamers obsessed only with impossible ideals of inter-Korean relations, ignoring the reality of inter-Korean relations."

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House on the 9th./Photo by Yonhap News

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also raised his voice of criticism toward the government, saying, "Let's give up expectations now," and "Let's abandon hope."

Yoo referred to opposition lawmakers' remarks related to real estate, such as "Not everyone needs to live in Gangnam," "Living in monthly rent is not a bad thing," and "I will rent out hotel rooms as jeonse," and pointed out, "This administration only pours out words that rub salt into the wounds of those painfully giving up their dreams."

Yoo further criticized President Moon, saying, "Three months ago, on August 8, the president's last remark before hiding was, 'As the effects of real estate measures appear, the upward trend in house prices is calming down,'" and added, "The president was truly incompetent. The 24 real estate measures showed how foolish this administration is. But now, he is even cowardly."

He added, "Surely he does not still fail to realize the failure. He just does not want to admit mistakes and does not want to take responsibility. He only shows up when promoting, but runs away at moments when he should take responsibility."

Earlier, after taking office in 2017, President Moon stated at his first press conference, "I will personally speak on important matters." In the past, during his time as party leader, he strongly criticized the Park Geun-hye administration's lack of communication as a "suffocatingly uncommunicative regime."

However, the actual number of President Moon's direct briefings and press conferences combined was only six during his third year in office, which is not much different from Park Geun-hye's four times.

In contrast, the official direct briefings and press conferences of Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun reached 150 times each, and President Lee Myung-bak held 20 times. President Moon's last official press conference was the New Year's press conference earlier this year.

In response, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, publicly criticized President Moon's lack of communication during a party representative speech at the National Assembly in September, saying, "The president is isolated in the Blue House office and residence."

Joo said, "President Moon, who accused his predecessors of being 'uncommunicative,' how many press conferences has he held so far?" and urged, "The president should not only unilaterally speak at Cabinet meetings and senior secretary meetings but also sincerely answer the public's questions and grievances."