청 "Medical Community 'Division' Controversy Shows Misunderstanding of President's Sincerity"

"Just a Message of Thanks and Comfort"

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over a senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House on the 31st of last month.

The Blue House stated that the controversy over President Moon Jae-in's nurse encouragement message on the 2nd, which escalated into a 'doctor-nurse division' debate, was due to "a failure to fully understand the president's sincerity."

A senior Blue House official told reporters on the day, "The president's social media message to nurses was simply one of gratitude and consolation," adding, "Please understand that the president has already sent messages of thanks to medical staff, including doctors, multiple times."

President Moon's nurse encouragement message on the 2nd has not only sparked a division controversy but has also spread into a 'blame-shifting' debate due to some media reports.

The issue began with President Moon's message posted on social media on the 2nd, saying, "I am grateful for the dedication of nurses who have taken on the burden of doctors on strike." Amid the resurgence of COVID-19, the doctors' strike has increased the workload of nurses, and the message was intended to encourage them. However, criticism arose that it was creating a divide between doctors and nurses.

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook that day, "President Moon is sowing discord among the people excessively," claiming, "He is inciting internal conflict between doctors and nurses because doctors oppose the Moon Jae-in administration's healthcare policies." Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party, also said, "After dividing doctors and nurses, who will they turn into enemies next?"

On the 3rd, as the opposition party's 'division' offensive continued, some media reported that the message was written by the Blue House Planning Secretary's Office, which led to a 'blame-shifting' controversy. Ha said, "Whether the president wrote it or the secretaries drafted it, official words and writings are entirely the president's," adding, "The responsibility lies with President Moon, who gave the final approval, and it should not be blamed on the secretaries."

Independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo also commented, "He used to say he wrote the Facebook post himself, but now they say the secretary posted the doctor-nurse division message," adding, "President Moon must be very fortunate. When it's advantageous, he says he did it, and when it's disadvantageous, he blames the secretaries."

On the other hand, the ruling party is actively defending President Moon and the Blue House. Lawmaker Ko Min-jung wrote on Facebook on the 3rd, "There is a fuss about the president's message of thanks being called divisive," adding, "I was surprised to see it could be viewed that way." She continued, "It's like reaching out to someone who has fallen on the street, only to be met with anger questioning the intention," and said, "Pretending not to see even when someone is hurt, should we just pass by? Why has it become so extreme?"

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