與 "Yeo, Anti-Japan Rally to Divert Criticism of Kim Nam-guk Gate... A Typical Case of Double Standards"

The People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party of Korea on the 21st for attending a rally the previous day aimed at stopping the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan, saying it was "an attempt to divert public criticism sparked by the money envelope party convention and the Kim Nam-guk gate" and called it "a typical case of double standards and shamelessness."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Senior Spokesperson Yoo Sang-beom said in a statement that day, "Representative Lee Jae-myung emotionally spewed 'nonsense' at the rally and made the outrageous claim that 'the government is tying the opposition's hands.' He must be really desperate." On the same day, Representative Kim Ki-hyun also pointed out on his social media, "Why is Representative Lee Jae-myung so obsessed with 'saving Private Kim Nam-guk,' even giving an off-site speech to change the narrative?"

At the rally held in Seoul the previous day, Lee said, "No matter what anyone says, even if an expert nonsense claims that drinking 10 liters a day instead of 1 liter is okay, the certain fact is that the Japanese government itself considers it useless and dangerous material and is dumping the contaminated water into the sea."

Senior Spokesperson Yoo criticized, saying that the joint statement of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders holding a summit in Hiroshima, Japan, included support for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s independent verification of Fukushima contaminated water, and "not only the Yoon Seok-yeol government but the entire world is responding rationally based on scientific evidence, but only the opposition party in South Korea is engaging in propaganda and agitation by creating baseless fear."

Floor Spokesperson Jeon Ju-hye also criticized in a statement, "The Democratic Party is solely obsessed with undermining President Yoon Seok-yeol's domestic and international achievements," adding, "They are busy spreading rumors again, calling the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water inspection team, which has not even started yet, the '21st-century gentleman's tour group' or the 'radioactivity pardon inspection team,' just like during the mad cow disease and THAAD incidents."

Meanwhile, Seong Il-jong, chairman of the Task Force for Protecting Our Seas, refuted Lee's remark on Facebook that "the Japanese government also thinks the contaminated water is dangerous and therefore discharges it." He argued, "No matter how clean the water is, if it is recycled water or water that is even slightly unpleasant emotionally, we do not drink it. This is why we do not reuse treated sewage or industrial wastewater as drinking water or swimming pool water but discharge it into nature to circulate. The same applies to Fukushima's water. It is not dangerous, but the reason we do not drink it or use it as swimming pool water is exactly that."