Kim Ki-hyun "President Moon also visited KCDC during MERS"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, visited the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Cheongju, Chungbuk, on the afternoon of the 21st and met with Director Jeong Eun-kyung. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid fierce criticism within the ruling party toward Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, who recently visited the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the same party, fired back saying, "President Moon Jae-in also visited the KDCA during the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak when he was the opposition party leader."

On the 24th, Representative Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "On May 31, 2015, when MERS was rampant, then-opposition party (New Politics Alliance for Democracy) leader Moon Jae-in visited the KDCA," adding, "It was not just a simple visit; he borrowed the main conference room and even received a briefing on current issues. The party leadership, the governor of Chungbuk Province, and others were all mobilized to show their strength."

He continued, "At that time, the situation was such that the first domestic case occurred on May 20, and by May 31, as the situation worsened, the minister apologized for inadequate measures," explaining, "And the very next day, June 1, the number of quarantined individuals surged, and the MERS situation was severely deteriorating."

He added, "At that time, he went there and (President Moon) scolded them a lot. It was not even a weekday but a Sunday. On a Sunday when public officials were all on emergency duty, going there and increasing their workload could be seen as an obstruction, but our party did not say anything about it," he rebutted.

Representative Kim said, "When (Chairman Kim) went to the KDCA, he did not receive any briefing on current issues but encouraged them to do well," and pointed out, "He said he would actively cooperate with the ruling party, and if they scold him for that, it really shows that the frog forgets its tadpole days."

Earlier, some members of the Democratic Party harshly criticized Chairman Kim's visit to meet with Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, calling it "a typical old-fashioned political move with an unexpected visit," and "like a thief wielding a club pretending to be the owner, with the wrongdoers lecturing those who did well with power."

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