Lee Nak-yeon: "Drive-thru rallies are an act mocking the people enduring discomfort and pain"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending a discussion invited by the Broadcast Journalists Club held at the Artists Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 23rd, talking about political issues. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized the claims by some conservative groups to hold a "Drive-Through" rally on National Foundation Day, calling it "an act that seems to mock the people who are cooperating with quarantine measures and enduring inconvenience and pain."

On the 24th, Lee posted on his Facebook, saying, "'Drive-Through' is a brilliant idea of K-quarantine for rapid and safe COVID-19 testing, and the very notion of using it for illegal rallies is unacceptable."

He added, "Some conservative groups who had announced a rally at Gwanghwamun on National Foundation Day have stated they will not hold the rally. This appears to be in consideration of the majority of the public’s opposition and the government’s firm stance," and continued, "Fortunately, some among them say they will proceed with a vehicle protest using the 'Drive-Through' method."

He further pointed out, "We are still suffering harshly from the resurgence of COVID-19 caused by the Gwangbokjeol rally. In such a situation, holding another urban protest is tantamount to ignoring the public’s concerns and resisting quarantine measures."

He urged, "The police have announced plans to ban vehicle protests as they could ignite a resurgence of COVID-19. This is a natural measure," and added, "I hope the police will completely block all forms of protests and strictly punish illegal acts with a zero-tolerance policy."

Meanwhile, the conservative groups preparing for the National Foundation Day rally announced the withdrawal of the rally but stated they would express their views through a car parade.

Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo and Pastor Seo Kyung-seok, leader of the 'People’s Movement for a New Korea,' held a press conference in front of the National Assembly on the 24th, declaring, "We will not hold the Gwanghwamun rally on October 3rd and request all other right-wing groups to take the same stance as us."

However, they added, "No matter how rampant COVID-19 is, we must express our anger at the evils and mistakes of the Moon Jae-in administration," and "We believe the only way to express our views without falling into the government’s COVID trap is the recently spotlighted car parade method."

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