Kim Jong-in: "Failure in Dongbu Detention Center Quarantine, Government's Fault... Moon Must Apologize Personally"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, on the 4th, regarding the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at Dongbu Detention Center exceeding 1,000, called it a "third-world type catastrophe caused by the government's untrustworthy quarantine" and urged, "The key responsible persons, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and President Moon Jae-in, the highest authority in national governance, must sincerely apologize."

Chairman Kim held an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly that morning and criticized, "There are criticisms that the hypocrisy of the Moon administration, which prioritizes people first, is being fully exposed. Until now, the K-quarantine was praised as a global model case, so how will you explain the tragedy at Dongbu Detention Center?"

He pointed out, "In particular, as it appears that the lives, safety, and human rights values of the people were completely ignored during the disaster, public anger is growing. Correctional facilities, including Dongbu Detention Center, have already been classified as high-risk facilities, but the government thoroughly neglected them as quarantine blind spots." He added, "Correctional facilities are national facilities controlled entirely under government responsibility, so no one can deny that the government alone is responsible for the quarantine failure."

Chairman Kim said, "Nevertheless, the Prime Minister apologized on behalf of the government, and the Minister of Justice, the core person responsible for the situation, remained silent and even posted on Facebook, which is an abnormal behavior that cannot be understood," emphasizing, "We urge Minister Choo and President Moon to offer a sincere apology to the people."

He continued, "The prosecution must uncover the truth and find those responsible to impose strict punishment," and argued, "Just as they immediately conducted a forced investigation during the so-called Shincheonji incident, the prosecution should also carry out searches and seizures according to quarantine rules and penalties this time."

At the party level, they plan to organize a task force (TF) for fact-finding and victim relief and propose a joint fund for state compensation. He said, "From a human rights perspective, this cannot be overlooked. In the past, President Moon emphasized the human rights of petitioners who are our citizens and detainees awaiting trial," adding, "The Dongbu Detention Center incident will be subject to complaints to the UN and other international human rights organizations, and active cooperation will be considered."

Regarding the successive group infections in nursing facilities, Chairman Kim also criticized, calling it "another failure of K-quarantine," saying, "Despite the lack of specialized treatment equipment and personnel, these facilities were left as quarantine blind spots simply because there were medical staff to care for patients. It is effectively a quarantine disaster that blatantly turned them into hosts of group infections."

He stated, "The nursing hospital disaster is a man-made disaster caused by the government's complacent thinking and delayed response," emphasizing, "To resolve this, above all, the government must wake up from the anesthesia of K-quarantine. Even now, it should listen to infection experts' advice and focus on effective quarantine measures."

Meanwhile, at the first meeting of the new year, Chairman Kim expressed, "I have three wishes for this year," naming ▲ the end of COVID-19 ▲ economic recovery ▲ restoration of the rule of law and democracy.

He said, "I deeply miss the bright smiles of people hidden behind masks. We plan to fully concentrate our party's capabilities to ensure that the game-changer vaccine is distributed as soon as possible and that safe vaccinations are carried out." Regarding economic recovery, he promised, "Our party will listen carefully to the cries of the economically vulnerable and do our utmost to protect them from collapse."

He added, "Seeing the reality of one-party dictatorship, the urgency to protect the rule of law and democracy is growing stronger," and emphasized, "Our party will change and innovate to become an alternative for the people."

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