"Gwanghwamun Rally, Stop the Witch Hunt" Citizens Outraged "Stop Politicizing COVID-19"

Park Dae-chul "Blaming Gwanghwamun Rally for Cluster Infection Is Witch Hunt"
Citizens "Stop Dividing the People"

Park Dae-chul, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning at the 2018 National Assembly audit of five institutions including the Nuclear Safety Commission held by the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee at the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] As the government is making every effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, including raising social distancing to level 2.5 amid the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), some political figures are causing controversy by politicizing the COVID-19 situation and making divisive remarks.

They claim that the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally and the resurgence of COVID-19 are unrelated, and argue that the government and quarantine authorities are conducting a "witch hunt" by blaming the Gwanghwamun rally as the main culprit for the spread of COVID-19. Despite the domestic COVID-19 damage still being severe, there is criticism that they are treating it solely as a political dispute.

The quarantine authorities have repeatedly urged people to refrain from gatherings of more than 10 people, as the number of confirmed cases in August increased significantly due to rallies.

Earlier, on the 7th, Park Dae-chul, a member of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook, claiming that "there was not a single confirmed case related to the Liberation Day rally during the five days from the 14th to the 18th of last month," asserting that the rally and the resurgence of COVID-19 are unrelated.

Park cited data received from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, explaining, "On the day of the Gwanghwamun rally, the 15th, there were 166 confirmed cases; on the 16th, 279; on the 17th, 197; and on the 18th, 246. Among these, there was not a single case related to the Gwanghwamun rally." He added, "Regardless of the quarantine issues due to the high density of the rally, the witch hunt that tries to blame a specific group for the resurgence must stop."

As of the 8th, quarantine authorities have identified about 532 cases related to the rally. Even if, as Park claims, there were no confirmed cases related to the Gwanghwamun rally during the four days starting on the 15th, considering the approximately 500 confirmed cases related to the rally as of today, the claim that there were no confirmed cases from the Gwanghwamun rally and that it is a "witch hunt" lacks credibility.

On the afternoon of the 15th, a rally condemning "corruption in the Moon Jae-in administration, abuse of power by Choo Mi-ae, and sexual harassment by Democratic Party local government heads" was held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Following Park, Kim Moon-soo, former governor of Gyeonggi Province, also claimed that Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, senior pastor of Sarang Jeil Church who led the Gwanghwamun rally and was re-incarcerated after the court revoked his bail, was "subjected to a witch hunt as the main culprit for the spread of COVID-19."

Kim further stated, "(The reason for Pastor Jeon's re-incarceration is) to block the October 3 National Foundation Day rally," and said, "With Pastor Jeon's imprisonment, Moon Jae-in (President) will be in even greater trouble," making remarks that could incite conflict between the government and rally participants.

Earlier, former lawmaker Cha Myung-jin also posted on his Facebook on the 31st of last month, claiming, "The Moon Jae-in administration has yet to present any evidence that germs were transmitted at the Gwanghwamun rally site," and accused the government of spreading fake news that "Gwanghwamun rally = epicenter of COVID-19 spread."

Despite the serious domestic spread of COVID-19, as some figures continue to make statements that cause public division, citizens are raising their voices in criticism, saying that COVID-19 is being used as a political debate.

Citizens collectively criticized, saying, "It is a clear fact that social distancing was raised and the entire nation was restricted after the Gwanghwamun rally, so what nonsense is this?", "They have no intention of cooperating with quarantine efforts and only try to politically exploit COVID-19," and "Members of the National Assembly, who once worked for the people, have no interest in national unity and are only focused on dividing people."

Citizens wearing masks are moving at a bus stop in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, concerns among citizens are growing as some conservative groups have reported plans to hold another large-scale rally on October 3, National Foundation Day.

Although the COVID-19 spread, which once surged to over 400 cases, has been decreasing and maintained at the 100s for six consecutive days, experts point out that it is not yet a stage to be complacent.

Even within the conservative opposition, including the People Power Party, voices of caution are being raised against allowing the rally.

Kim Byung-min, an emergency committee member of the People Power Party, said at the emergency committee meeting on the 7th, "Some groups are planning to hold a rally on National Foundation Day in October, deepening public confusion and social conflict," adding, "Until our society regains a safe environment from COVID-19, rallies that harm our community's well-being should not be allowed regardless of ideology, tendency, or purpose, whether progressive or conservative."

Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, also posted on his Facebook on the same day, saying, "If a large-scale Gwanghwamun rally is held while COVID-19 is still rampant, it could provide an excuse for the Moon Jae-in administration to justify and evade responsibility for their quarantine failures," and earnestly requested, "Please refrain from participating in the October 3 Gwanghwamun rally."

Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju Province, also raised his voice, saying, "Protecting the safety of the community is the primary value of conservatism," and "All attempts that endanger the community under the name and value of conservatism must be stopped by the party and its supporters."

Meanwhile, quarantine authorities have urged people to refrain from gatherings of more than 10 people, as the number of confirmed cases in August increased significantly due to rallies.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' quarantine team, appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" on the same day and emphasized, "Currently, under the ongoing 'social distancing level 2.5' situation, outdoor rallies of more than 10 people are prohibited in Seoul," adding, "Since rallies played a major role as a catalyst for the increase in confirmed cases in August, we hope people will fully consider this and refrain from gatherings for the safety of our society."

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