[On-site Video] Yoon Seok-yeol: "'Daegu Minran' Is Not a Term I Coined"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, PD Yoon Jin-geun] “The ‘Daegu Rebellion’ remark is not a phrase I made up.”

Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential candidate from the opposition, explained the so-called ‘Daegu Rebellion’ remark that recently caused controversy during a meeting with nurses at the Seoul Nurses Association in Guro-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. After the meeting, Yoon spoke to reporters and criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s COVID-19 response, his entry into the People Power Party, the controversy over the pardon of former President Park Geun-hye, and the ruling on former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo.

Regarding the ‘Daegu Rebellion’ remark, Yoon emphasized, “In the early stages of COVID-19 in 2020, many people in the region said such things, and I heard it.” He added, “I was saying that despite such difficult circumstances that such words were even used, they really maintained order well.” He then asked rhetorically, “I didn’t make up the word ‘rebellion,’ did I?”

On the government’s COVID-19 vaccination speed, he said, “It is insufficient.” He continued, “It’s not just about how many confirmed COVID-19 cases there are, but also how many people have been tested. We need to share a lot of COVID-19 related information with the public.”

He further pointed out, “If there are difficulties or hardships, we should honestly tell the public everything, so that we can overcome this crisis by sharing information with the people, persuading them, and gaining their understanding.”

Regarding Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, suggesting that Yoon’s delayed party entry is due to a ‘rejection of Yeouido politics,’ Yoon responded, “Is there Yeouido politics separately and people’s politics separately? Politics is ultimately about considering the safety of the people and their livelihood.” He added, “If I had a rejection of politics, I wouldn’t have started.”

On the hardships faced by nurses amid the fourth wave of COVID-19, he said, “If the difficult situations experienced by nurses on the COVID-19 front lines are not improved, nurses will inevitably leave the medical field.” He emphasized, “Nursing is also a field that requires a high level of expertise.” He continued, “It is in line with public health and national interest for skilled nurses to work for a long time, so shouldn’t the public create conditions for them to work long-term?”

Regarding the pardon of former President Park Geun-hye, he said, “Pardons are decisions made by the president considering national unity.” He added, “If pardons are decided from the perspective of national unity, that’s one thing, but there are talks of discussing pardons to cause division in the opposition ahead of the presidential election. I hope decisions are made in a way that follows the spirit of the constitution, leading to unity from division and conflict among the people.”

Yoon also addressed his statement on the previous day regarding the confirmed guilty verdict of former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo and the ongoing various methods of opinion manipulation in this election, saying, “Spreading unverified information through pro-government media is also an attempt to distort public opinion.” He added, “Such attempts initially fluctuate between legal and illegal, but as the election approaches and urgency increases, many cases cross the line.”

Meanwhile, on the same day, Park In-sook, president of the Seoul Nurses Association, presented Yoon with a book titled ‘COVID-19 Heroes, Nursing Korea,’ which contains the hardships faced by nurses on the front lines.

At the meeting, the Seoul Nurses Association also proposed △ enacting the ‘Nursing Act’ instead of the ‘Nurses Act’ △ financial support for nurses dedicated to critical patients △ institutionalizing allowance payments for COVID-19 response compensation △ requests for increased work allowances.