Foreign Minister Park Jin's Dismissal Proposal: "Not a Matter to Go That Far"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Presidential Office commented on the 'speech controversy' that arose during President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to the United States, stating, "Fake news should be eradicated." Regarding the remarks that sounded like 'iXX,' they emphasized that even President Yoon finds it difficult to recall.
On the afternoon of the 29th, Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, said at a briefing held in the briefing room of the Yongsan Presidential Office, "I, including my staff, believe that fake news should be eradicated."
Kim criticized, "In the past, advanced countries despise and dislike fake news, but we have been somewhat lenient. As seen in previous incidents like mad cow disease and others, fake news can poison society and sow discord among the people, so we take it very seriously."
He added, "I believe this is unacceptable and very regrettable. I hope such incidents never happen again. If anyone benefits from this, it would probably be no one in the Republic of Korea. It causes significant harm to national interests."
Regarding the part of President Yoon's remarks that sounded like 'iXX,' Kim said he directly asked about it and pointed out that the media hastily reported without going through verification procedures. He also criticized, "When you listen to the (video recording) later, it is very unclear. When publishing unclear statements, the person who made the remarks must be verified, but some media outlets did not follow this process."
He reiterated, "If you remove noise and static from the video, you cannot hear those words (like Biden, etc.). So everything is unclear right now, and we are also in a confused situation."
Regarding the Democratic Party of Korea's push for a motion to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin, Kim drew a line, saying, "I don't think it is an issue that should go that far."
Kim said, "The opposition calls it a diplomatic fiasco, but if it were truly a diplomatic fiasco, would U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris have come here today? And the British Foreign Secretary came here just yesterday from the UK. The countries involved are paying respects and everything is going well, but it seems we are the only ones belittling this ourselves, which is not good."
Kim raised his voice, saying, "North Korea recently legislated the possibility of a preemptive nuclear strike, fired ballistic missiles, Vice President Harris visited, joint South Korea-U.S. drills are underway in the East Sea, and our financial market is fluctuating due to the strong dollar. At a time when cooperation with the U.S. is more urgent than ever, cutting off the head of the general leading this unarmed diplomatic war is inappropriate both in timing and in many other aspects."
He criticized both the media and political circles simultaneously, saying, "In a situation where cooperation with the U.S. is crucial, the media fabricates and sows discord in the Korea-U.S. alliance, and the political sphere tries to cut off the head of the general standing in front of them. This is unacceptable."
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