Sim Jae-cheol "Ruling party advocates political reform but forms proportional party?... Hypocritical logic"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the United Future Party, criticized on the 8th the Democratic Research Institute, the think tank of the Democratic Party of Korea, for emphasizing the necessity of participating in the proportional representation coalition party, saying, "They call the Future Korea Party a shell company's backdoor listing convenience, and yet they are making an audacious argument."

At a press briefing held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Shim said, "The Democratic Party says that by participating in the proportional representation coalition party, the top spots on the proportional list should be given to minor parties, and they even wrote down 'detailed guidelines' to that effect."

He continued, "On the 26th of last month, the so-called Mapo five-person meeting revealed the Democratic Party's dark intentions," adding, "The puzzle pieces for the Democratic Party's satellite proportional party creation are being put together one by one."

He also criticized, "Everyone knows that the election law was used as bait for the left-wing second, third, and fourth factions to establish the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which will serve as a cover-up office for President Moon Jae-in's corruption," and said, "The Democratic Party, which vociferously advocated political reform while rushing through a batch of election laws including the semi-proportional representation system, is now talking about a proportional representation coalition party, which is absurd."

Regarding the mask shortage crisis, Floor Leader Shim said, "President Moon encouraged mask production, but the manufacturers are complaining that he does not understand the field," and added, "It takes two to three months just to install production facilities, and after the COVID-19 situation ends, there are questions about how the government will handle and store the surplus products."

On the supplementary budget for COVID-19 response, he pointed out, "While preparing a supplementary budget of 11.7 trillion won, only 7 billion won was allocated for mask procurement," and said, "Meanwhile, 3 trillion won was allocated for cash-type welfare. It is said that public health was neglected and only projects helpful for the general election were included."

Regarding Japan's restrictions on Korean entries, he criticized, "Japan's sudden restriction on Korean entries without prior consultation or notice is not only a diplomatic rudeness but tantamount to disregarding the nation," and said, "Especially, they gave prior explanations to China but did not even hint to us. It is a very inappropriate attitude."

He also commented on the South Korean government's measure to strengthen entry procedures for Japanese nationals, saying, "Unlike with China, the government is responding strongly to Japan. It looks like a political intention to incite the public and rally support," and added, "Using diplomacy for elections is not only very petty but also a dangerous idea."

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