United Future Party: "Government Not Considering Ban on Entry from China... Is Xi Jinping's Visit More Important Than the People?"

Korean tourists who arrived on the first charter flight operated by the Israeli government gathered at Terminal 1 arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on the 25th. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The United Future Party urged the government to consider banning entry from China to protect the public, criticizing that the government still has not prohibited entry from China despite the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Lee Chang-soo, spokesperson for the United Future Party, stated in a commentary on the 25th, "As of this morning, a total of 17 countries have implemented bans or restrictions on the entry of Koreans," adding, "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised the travel alert for our country to the highest level, Level 3," criticizing the government accordingly.

He pointed out, "An airport in China has instructed passengers on Korean flights to use a dedicated passage, and Beijing has requested our citizens to self-quarantine," adding, "China, the origin of COVID-19, is loudly telling us to leave."

The spokesperson also expressed concern over the mask shortage, saying, "The export value of fine dust masks to China, which was $600,000 in December last year, surged nearly 100 times to $61.35 million in January this year," and "Yesterday, the Medical Association expressed concern that a significant amount of masks are being exported to China daily while a mask crisis is occurring in Korea."

He continued, "Is China more important than us? Is Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea more important than protecting our citizens?" and criticized, "The government still refuses to consider additional entry bans. Such stubbornness is unprecedented."

Lee said, "What the people want from the government is neither big nor extraordinary. A proper government must faithfully fulfill the nation's primary duty to protect the lives and safety of its citizens," emphasizing, "Winning the general election or any visitor's visit should not come first; first, second, and third must be the people."

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