[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] "Representative Lee (Jun-seok), why does the operating room CCTV induce passive medical treatment? Is the operating room CCTV, which corrects information asymmetry, unfair? I was aghast after hearing Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, express his stance on operating room CCTV yesterday." (Kang Byung-won, Democratic Party lawmaker, Facebook, 16th)
"The level of rebuttal by the opposition leader is like grabbing the Haetae statue in front of the National Assembly main building and talking nonsense. Proving 'nonsense is nonsense' is really bothersome and difficult, but having to do this amid a busy schedule is truly exhausting." (Kim Nam-guk, Democratic Party lawmaker, Facebook, 15th)
"Being young in age does not make one a youth. One must have a young mindset to be a youth. Instead of ambiguous wordplay, I urge you to show the spirit of youth that confronts vested interests head-on." (Noh Woong-rae, Democratic Party lawmaker, Facebook, 15th)
The controversy over Lee Jae-myung's 'operating room CCTV' has entered a new phase. Following Lee Jae-myung's strong criticism of Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, who expressed a reserved stance on installing operating room CCTV, Democratic Party lawmakers have consecutively raised issues with Lee's remarks.
Some lawmakers fired direct shots at Lee Jun-seok, saying that youth is defined not by age but by mindset. Meanwhile, some expressed frustration, saying it is truly tiring to have to call out nonsense as nonsense.
The origin of this CCTV controversy was triggered when Lee Jun-seok recently stated in an interview on KBS Radio's 'Oh Tae-hoon's Current Affairs Headquarters' that "if operating room CCTV is widely installed, doctors may become very passive in their medical practices," and expressed the need for further social discussion including expert opinions regarding the related bill.
In response, Lee Jae-myung, who has led the push for installing operating room CCTV, said, "This is a bill overwhelmingly agreed upon by over 80% of the public and has undergone a long period of debate. While some in the medical community suggest leaving it to the autonomy of medical staff, medical acts in the operating room are matters where a single accident can determine the life of a citizen. The public demands the state's role to prevent that one accident," he countered.
Furthermore, he emphasized, "It is hard to understand the claim (by Lee Jun-seok) that installing CCTV in operating rooms would lead to passive medical treatment. The public's perspective is well captured by an internet community post that says, 'Do you drive passively just because there is a black box in the car?' Just as CCTV in daycare centers does not cause passive childcare, operating room CCTV will rather increase public trust in the majority of medical staff who act conscientiously and do not commit illegal acts, and protect citizens from a tiny minority involved in illegal medical practices or sexual harassment."
Lee Jun-seok did not remain silent.
On the 15th, through Facebook, he rebutted, "Just as it is a foolish attack to say to the Democratic Party, which opposed the Anti-Terrorism Act, 'Then are you condoning terrorism?', it is a political caricature to respond to a cautious stance on operating room CCTV by saying 'Are you condoning illegal medical practices or sexual harassment?'"
He added, "How long will the Democratic Party continue to foster a dichotomy of good and evil to conduct poll politics? Many citizens wish the Min-sik Act had been legislated more cautiously. The vested interests are the side with 180 seats, and the side that wielded that vested power and caused all the scandals from real estate is the Democratic Party," he added.
As Lee Jae-myung and Lee Jun-seok engaged in a heated debate over the installation of operating room CCTV, Democratic Party lawmakers joined the fray.
On the same day, Noh Woong-rae wrote in a post titled 'Installing Operating Room CCTV is Youth Politics,' "Lee Jun-seok expressed concerns that doctors might become very passive in medical acts related to operating room CCTV installation and said more expert opinions should be heard. This is extremely disappointing," and argued, "Only those who behave unjustly, that is, criminals, become passive because of CCTV."
He also questioned, "There are about 70,000 public CCTVs throughout Seoul, but do they suppress the legitimate actions of Seoul citizens?" and pointed out, "The operating room CCTV bill was proposed in 2015, and now 80% of the public supports it. How much more discussion is needed?"
Noh urged, "Being young in age does not make one a youth; having a young mindset does. Instead of ambiguous wordplay, please show the spirit of youth that confronts vested interests head-on."
Kim Nam-guk also wrote on the same day in a post titled 'A Typical Straw Man Fallacy,' "The opposition leader's rebuttal is like grabbing the Haetae statue in front of the National Assembly main building and talking nonsense," and said, "Proving 'nonsense is nonsense' is really bothersome and difficult, but having to do this amid a busy schedule is truly exhausting."
He especially advised, "When rebutting, you should address the opponent's (Lee Jae-myung's) core claims and arguments. As an opposition leader, please stop spinning 'brain fictions' alone and carefully listen to what the other side is saying before speaking."
Kim added, "I want to ask which part of Lee Jae-myung's post shared by Lee Jun-seok can be interpreted as 'a cautious stance on operating room CCTV means condoning illegal medical practices or sexual harassment.' I don't know what kind of imaginary story he spun alone. Even if you look carefully, you cannot find such a claim from Lee Jae-myung. This is a typical example of the 'straw man fallacy,'" he lamented.
Kang Byung-won also posted on Facebook on the 16th, following his post on the 15th titled 'Regret Regarding Representative Lee Jun-seok 2,' saying, "When I asked again about Lee Jun-seok's stance on operating room CCTV yesterday, he cited the Anti-Terrorism Act and said, 'If the Democratic Party responds by saying, "Are you condoning illegal medical practices or sexual harassment?" then it is a political caricature. They foster a dichotomy of good and evil to conduct poll politics. Many citizens think the Min-sik Act should have been legislated more cautiously.' In short, I was aghast," he revealed.
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