Jin Joong-kwon: "Korean Conservatives Resemble Trump in Blaming Others"

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon pointed out that the Korean conservatives' response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) resembles that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who blames others.

On the 12th, Jin wrote on his Facebook, "Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, belongs to the Christian Democratic Union, and Trump is a member of the Republican Party; both are conservatives," adding, "Although they are the same conservatives, their philosophies differ."

He continued, "Merkel believed that only 'solidarity and reason' could prevent panic caused by COVID-19," explaining, "Instead of banning entry from China, she judged the virus's entry as inevitable and prepared to fight under the realistic goal of slowing the spread to keep it within the healthcare system's capacity."

He added, "Trump, instead of checking internal preparedness, diverted attention outward and tried to solve the problem by blocking China," calling it a "political temptation to use the COVID-19 issue as an excuse to block China."

Jin argued, "As a result, the entire United States was exposed, and it faced a situation where timely response was impossible," stating, "Trump's policy resembles the voices of the Future United Party that called for banning entry from China."

He further suggested, "There is something shared beyond progressives and conservatives," and "That something is called common sense. For Korean conservatives to develop, instead of blaming others, they need to calmly build their inner strength."

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