Sim Jae-cheol "A Long Day... The President's Words 'You Can Return to Normal Life' Come at a Harsh Price"

Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the United Future Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the United Future Party, who is undergoing self-quarantine after being tested for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), said on the 24th, "The price for the president's single word that we can return to daily life is too harsh," and "As a politician, I apologize to the people. I will do my utmost for a healthy society."

Shim posted on his Facebook that day, "I am sorry to cause concern to everyone. Until this morning, I did not imagine that I would have to be tested," he said.

He said, "Except for unavoidable cases, I continuously wore a mask and made it a habit to use sanitizer. As a preventive measure, I postponed the parliamentary meeting at 11 a.m. and the plenary session at 2 p.m. on the 24th and went to a screening clinic. The results will come out on the morning of the 25th."

He added, "After collecting the specimen, the doctor asked about symptoms such as fever and overseas travel and said the possibility seemed low, advising me to do 'self-management' rather than 'self-isolation.'"

Shim said, "I am having a long day today. I deeply experienced the hardships of the people mentioned in articles reporting that masks, disinfectants, and other supplies ran out at pharmacies, retail stores, and marts a few days ago, that crowds gathered at clinics causing long waiting lines, and that some hoarding of daily necessities has appeared."

He criticized, "Since January 27, I repeatedly urged the government to block entrants from China, but the government and ruling party distorted public concerns with false propaganda that 'if we block them, our country will be isolated in the international community.'"

Shim said, "While Chinese entrants roam freely in the country without any restrictions, our citizens have become banned from overseas. Currently, more than 135 countries, including 41 that directly block entrants from China, have imposed restrictions on Chinese entrants."

He emphasized, "The fact that Mongolia, which borders China, has had no confirmed cases and Russia only two since blocking Chinese entrants from early February proves that completely blocking the source of infection is key."

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