People Power Party: "Moon, still distant from the desperate people... If so, why hold a press conference?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] On the 18th, the People Power Party harshly criticized President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference as a "hollow 120 minutes filled with what the president wanted to say rather than what the people wanted to hear."

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement that day saying, "We appreciate the effort to handle various questions even in a non-face-to-face format, but it felt empty."

Spokesperson Kim said, "President Moon mentioned that there could be differences in views between the minister and the prosecutor general regarding prosecution reform. Then why did he sign the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon?" She added, "He emphasized the conflict between the minister and the prosecutor general as a sign of democracy, but then what exactly was the president apologizing for as the appointing authority?"

She pointed out, "Trying to explain now why the president was invisible in places that did not shine is full of inconsistencies."

Regarding President Moon's remarks about former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Kim said, "He hid behind saying it was 'claims' causing secondary harm to the victims and expressed regret. He even defended the by-election caused by sexual crimes and the ruling party's amendment of party rules. Is he the president of the party members rather than the president of the people?"

She also criticized President Moon's comments on adoption, saying, "I wonder if the measures to prevent the Jeong-in case ultimately mean 'exchange or return'." Spokesperson Kim said, "When he mentioned that adoptive parents' feelings can change, so adoption can be canceled or the child can be changed, I was incredulous. Nowhere in the president's words as a human rights lawyer was there empathy, human rights, or human dignity."

President Moon said that day, "Since adoptive parents' feelings can change, within a certain period, adoption can be canceled, or if the child does not fit, the adopted child can be changed. Various methods are needed to activate adoption without shrinking it and to protect adopted children," which sparked controversy.

Spokesperson Kim also criticized the president's remarks on real estate issues, saying, "He spent a long time blaming it on generation splitting." Regarding North Korea, she pointed out, "He concluded with words that seemed to represent North Korea's position more than the people’s, saying North Korea's nuclear buildup is because peace-building talks could not be held."

She added, "The press conference started and ended with COVID-19, but only raised more questions. The 'blind vaccine' COVAX scheduled for February, which no one knows what vaccine will come, and AstraZeneca, which has not even received FDA approval in the U.S., are waiting, but the president only chants self-consolation that it is the safest if approved by our Ministry of Food and Drug Safety."

Spokesperson Kim raised her voice, saying, "If this is the case, why hold the press conference? The humble admission of failures and bold national policy shift were a solid delusion. The president who distances himself from the desperate people, the president who speaks not to the people but to the void, and although the rehearsal was done four times, throughout the press conference, the flashy set stood out more than the president's words."

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