Regarding the 'Park Pardon' Question, "Do Not Ask Me"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, criticized on the 15th regarding the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), saying, “The government has promoted K-quarantine as a global model, but I do not believe it has responded properly in reality,” and added, “I think the reason is that COVID-19 has been exploited too politically.”
Chairman Kim visited the Korean Medical Association in the afternoon and said, “In such a process, the economy is also facing a difficult environment, and severe social phenomena have arisen to the extent that self-employed people and small business owners are threatened with survival.”
Chairman Kim stated, “Since COVID-19 was first detected in our country in January last year, we have been at war with the virus for the past year. Initially, I thought our medical staff, especially centered around the Medical Association, operated the medical system and overcame it wisely,” and pointed out, “I think the government’s complacent belief that the COVID-19 situation would end in a short period has worsened the situation as it is now.”
Chairman Kim said, “Since December, countries around the world have secured vaccines to cope with their own COVID-19 situations, but we still do not have an accurate explanation of how to administer vaccinations,” and added, “They say they will bring in a vaccine from AstraZeneca, a company whose clinical trials are not yet complete, and there seems to be a lot of uncertainty among the public about whether the vaccine is effective depending on the type.”
Choi Dae-jip, President of the Korean Medical Association, said, “Last year, we emphasized various administrative measures including the entry ban from Wuhan, China, and made several proactive proposals. We also emphasized securing vaccines,” but added, “However, most of the medical community’s proposals were not accepted.”
President Choi stated, “Last summer, the government pushed through several wrong policies during the COVID-19 crisis, including forcibly establishing a public medical school, which eventually led to a strike. Afterwards, the ruling party flooded with retaliatory bills,” and said, “It was expected that the number of patients would surge in winter, but the government was flustered.”
When Chairman Kim was asked about the pardon of former President Park Geun-hye immediately after the meeting, he replied, “Don’t ask me about such matters.”
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