Lee Jun-seok's "Completely Burned Down" Remark Draws Heo Eun-ah's Criticism: "Is This Appropriate During a Sanbul Disaster?"

Lee Junseok: "No Intention to Visit the Site Due to Officials' Reports"
Heo Euna: "Choosing Evasion Over Responsibility, Wordplay Over Empathy"

Former Reform New Party leader Heo Eun-ah criticized Reform New Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok's remark on his YouTube broadcast on the 27th that "the secretary's grandmother's house was completely burned down," calling it "not a simple mishap but a loss of sensitivity that has always been pointed out, and an attitude that has lost the essence of politics." On the same day, Heo referred to Lee's statement during his YouTube live broadcast the previous day on Facebook, saying, "Is it appropriate for a member of the National Assembly to say such things in this disaster situation? This is not just a slip of the tongue," criticizing the lawmaker.

Former Reform New Party leader Heo Eun-ah criticized Lee Jun-seok, a Reform New Party lawmaker, on the 27th for his remark that "the secretary's grandmother's house was completely burned down," saying, "It reveals the essence of a politician who cannot empathize with others' wounds." Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Heo said, "(Lee) is someone who attaches the word 'completely' in front of a tragedy," and pointed out, "His language reveals the essence of a politician who cannot feel others' pain and the attitude toward suffering." She added, "What is more serious is that he tried to shift the responsibility for this remark onto others by saying 'it was something the secretary said,' and he covered it up again with a shield when a simple apology would have sufficed."

Earlier, during his YouTube channel live broadcast the previous day, Lee said, "The wildfire damage is spreading to an extent that politicians cannot even speak about it. Politicians will visit once the situation is somewhat controlled and stabilized, but since there are casualties during the suppression efforts, if we (members of the National Assembly) go, the officials try to report unnecessarily, so we are not going." He expressed hope for a swift recovery. He also said, "My office secretary's grandmother's house was completely burned down, which is a very unfortunate situation," and added, "I hope people around also check if there are others who have been affected."

Former Representative Heo criticized Rep. Lee, who has not been visiting the site due to "reports from public officials," saying, "Why is it a problem for a member of the National Assembly to receive reports on-site? If responsibility is uncomfortable, it is right to at least visit quietly." He added, "In the midst of a disaster where people are losing their lives, he once again chose 'avoidance' over 'responsibility' and 'wordplay' over 'empathy.'" Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Regarding Lee's claim that they are not going to the site because of 'officials' reporting,' former leader Heo criticized, "Why is it a problem for a member of the National Assembly to receive reports on-site? If responsibility is uncomfortable, it is right to at least visit quietly." She condemned, "In the midst of a disaster where citizens are losing their lives, he again chose 'avoidance' instead of 'responsibility,' and 'wordplay' instead of 'empathy.'"

Meanwhile, the wildfire that started on the 22nd in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, and is rapidly spreading to the northeastern region, has so far resulted in 26 deaths and a total of 56 casualties. As of 5 a.m. on the 28th, 37,185 residents have been evacuated, with 29,911 of them from Uiseong and Andong, the areas most severely affected by the wildfire.