Sim Jae-cheol "Entry Ban Needed for Visitors from All Over China... Moon Supports Busan Election Amid This"

Sim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 7th and delivering a speech. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, stated on the 7th regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia), "The Moon administration must ban entry of visitors from all over China to ensure the safety of the people of the Republic of Korea, even at this late stage."

Shim held a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly main building that morning and said, "The total number of confirmed cases has increased to 24, with more than half identified as 2nd or 3rd generation infections, indicating that early quarantine has failed."

He criticized, "People are afraid to go outside and worry that hospitals are not safe, but the government's response still fails to inspire trust. Masks and hand sanitizers are scarce in the market, causing public anger to rise, yet the authorities only announced measures against hoarding yesterday."

He also criticized President Moon Jae-in and Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding their perception of the situation. He explained, "President Moon attended the Busan-type job coexistence agreement ceremony yesterday, which was the first external event he attended since the domestic outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia, unrelated to the virus." He pointed out, "Although the New Year's work report was postponed after the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak, the reason for visiting Busan was to assist election campaigns ahead of the April general election, as public sentiment in Busan and Gyeongnam is unstable."

He added, "Lee In-young is criticizing the Liberty Korea Party for not convening the National Assembly regarding Wuhan pneumonia, but the immediate necessary measure is to calm public anxiety, not to summon health officials who are focusing all efforts on quarantine and prevention to the National Assembly." He continued, "There is a risk of interfering with quarantine and prevention work, so the Liberty Korea Party is even refraining from on-site visits and events."

Shim raised his voice, saying, "Those who only watch China’s reaction and even forbid the use of 'Wuhan' in the special committee’s name have no right to talk about drastic measures. Instead of blaming the opposition party, they should do their own job better."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.