Jang Donghyuk: "A public official was driven to an extreme situation"
"The president promotes his administration on variety shows?it's appalling"
On October 3, the People Power Party expressed condolences regarding the death of a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official responsible for the national computing network outage, while fiercely criticizing President Lee Jaemyung and his spouse for appearing on a variety show to promote K-food.
Jang Donghyuk, the party leader, wrote on Facebook that day, "I am filled with grief and devastation," adding, "I pray for the deceased and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family, who must be in profound sorrow." He continued, "This tragedy was caused by the government's overall incompetence and irresponsibility, and this is precisely when a special investigation is needed." He stated, "We will verify whether the government's response was appropriate and whether there was any undue pressure or shifting of responsibility onto public officials."
He also mentioned President Lee Jaemyung and his spouse's scheduled appearance on JTBC's variety show 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' on October 5, criticizing, "What the people want to ask of the president right now is not about 'refrigerators,' but about livelihoods and public safety." Jang questioned, "While a public official, burdened with the weight of responsibility, was driven to an extreme situation, where and what was the president doing?" He added, "I am appalled by the president's behavior-boasting on social media about filming commercials and actively promoting variety shows." He concluded, "My sorrow is turning into anger," and said, "Because of this one president, the entire country is falling into chaos."
Song Eonseok, the party's floor leader, also wrote on Facebook, "It is heartbreaking to receive such tragic news on the first day of the holiday," and stated, "It is extremely inappropriate for the president and his spouse to appear on a TV variety show, smiling for the cameras." Song added, "There is no harm in appearing on a variety show after all disaster situations have been resolved and the system has been fully restored," and requested both the presidential office and the broadcasting company to suspend the airing of the episode.
Joo Jinwoo, another party member, also criticized on Facebook, "When the public suffered damages due to the government resource fire, the president remained silent for two whole days, neither presiding over meetings nor visiting the scene. These were 48 lost hours," adding, "If the president was leisurely filming a variety show during this time, he is unfit for office." When the presidential office responded to his post by announcing legal action for what it called "clear dissemination of false information," Joo reiterated, "Around that time, President Lee was indeed filming a variety show," and stated, "I will, of course, respond to any legal action."
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