Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung Join Forces to Overcome COVID-19: "Overcome Through Solidarity and Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party and a leading presidential candidate, and Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, put their heads together to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 15th, the Democratic Party held a video conference meeting with party, government, and metropolitan local government heads to discuss such measures. This meeting between the two was the first since Lee Nak-yeon took office. Considering the COVID-19 situation, the meeting was held non-face-to-face, with the Democratic Party leadership and all metropolitan local government heads affiliated with the party attending simultaneously.

In his opening remarks, Lee Nak-yeon said, "We are currently facing the third wave of COVID-19. It is a very critical time," and added, "I believe we will overcome it through solidarity, cooperation, and civic spirit."

He emphasized, "In that process, it has become very important for the party, government, and local governments to take the lead and make responsible decisions and actions."

Floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon also said, "It is more important than anything else to share response situations among local governments and establish a cooperative system," and urged, "I hope local governments will actively administer measures to prevent the spread, especially in areas with high floating populations."

The meeting discussed measures such as deploying dentists and Korean medicine doctors to the field and mandating the installation of droplet barriers in restaurants and cafes.

Governor Lee Jae-myung said, "The problem is hospital beds," and added, "There is a severe shortage of intensive care units and general beds for critically ill patients." He also mentioned, "Living treatment centers have secured large-scale school dormitories through emergency mobilization orders, so relief is expected to come starting the day after tomorrow."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Mu-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province, also proposed, "Change the COVID-19 tracking method from industry-centered to region-centered, designate village-level quarantine officers, and dispatch medical staff."

After the meeting, Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, told reporters, "It was a session to share the situation of each local government, and the intensity and system varied depending on the region and pattern. There was talk about sharing the situation and responding comprehensively."

When asked whether the possibility of raising social distancing levels was discussed in the closed meeting, Spokesperson Kang replied, "There were opinions that a step 3 escalation was necessary, and various discussions took place."

She added, "Even if it escalates to step 3, there were opinions questioning its effectiveness without public cooperation, and opinions that step 3 is not the end, among various views."

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