"'Adoption Cancellation' Remarks and 'K-Quarantine Self-Praise'... Controversial 'Moon New Year Press Conference'"

Moon's 'Adoption Cancellation' Remarks Controversy... COVID-19 Prevention Praised as 'Self-Congratulation'
Ruling Party: "Efforts to Communicate Stand Out" vs Opposition: "Futile 120 Minutes"
Blue House: "Intended to Suggest System Improvements" Clarification

President Moon Jae-in is answering a reporter's question at the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] President Moon Jae-in expressed various opinions on the new year's national administration policy and other current issues during his New Year's press conference on the 18th.

However, he faced criticism for suggesting "cancellation of adoption" as a solution to the 'Jung-in case,' where a child died due to abuse by adoptive parents, and for his self-congratulatory remarks on COVID-19 quarantine measures, which were seen as out of touch with reality.

The ruling party praised the press conference as "a remarkable effort by the president to communicate with the people," while the opposition raised critical voices, calling it a "meaningless 120 minutes."

President Moon held the New Year's press conference at 10 a.m. at the Blue House Press Hall. Considering the COVID-19 situation, 20 domestic and international reporters attended in person at the Press Hall, and 100 reporters participated online. This was President Moon's first press conference in about a year since the New Year's press conference in January last year.

The controversial remarks came during the process of proposing solutions to the recent 'Jung-in case,' where a 16-month-old child died due to abuse by adoptive parents.

When reporters asked, "A 16-month-old child recently died due to abuse by adoptive parents. Is there a solution to break this vicious cycle of child abuse?" President Moon replied, "It truly pains my heart to see recent cases of child abuse leading to death. I imagine how heartbreaking it must be for the people as well. I humbly accept the criticism that we did not have proper measures in place."

He then proposed as a solution to prevent child abuse "the option to cancel adoption within a certain period after adoption or to change the adopted child."

President Moon said, "Initially, visiting adoptive families to check if the child is adapting well, and considering that adoptive parents' feelings may change, allowing adoption cancellation within a certain period, or if the adoptive parents still strongly wish to adopt but the child does not fit well, changing the child?while not discouraging adoption itself but activating it?are necessary measures to secure adopted children."

Meanwhile, President Moon also expressed pride in Korea's COVID-19 quarantine measures. During the Q&A session on quarantine, when questions from other fields poured in, he joked, "Is it because we are doing so well with quarantine that there are hardly any questions?"

However, contrary to President Moon's remarks, the recent domestic COVID-19 situation, although the spread has slowed, still involves infections linked to daily life, so it is not yet a stage to be complacent.

In particular, there have been continuous criticisms that the government's quarantine policies were inadequate, citing incidents such as the group infection at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center, a state-managed facility, and controversies over the fairness of social distancing guidelines.

President Moon Jae-in is answering reporters' questions at the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

Immediately after the press conference, voices of criticism poured in regarding President Moon's remarks on adoption. Single mother and single-parent organizations, adoption groups, and child rights organizations held a press conference around 1 p.m. in front of the Blue House fountain, condemning, "Children are not items that can be canceled or returned."

The groups further stated, "Adoption is about finding a family for the child, not providing a child to a family," and "After adoption is finalized, the adoptive family formed through adoption must be respected, and cancellation of adoption should be carried out with caution. Changing a child after adoption seriously infringes on the child's human rights and is unacceptable."

Criticism also erupted immediately in the political arena. Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, wrote on his Facebook, "I cannot believe my ears," and criticized, "Even pets would be punished if treated like that. What is adoption, a home shopping channel?"

He added, "Cancellation or replacement is not consideration for the child but a tool to justify the negative behavior of adoptive parents," and urged, "Apologize immediately for driving a nail into the hearts of adopted children, stigmatizing adoptive parents socially, and dragging human rights in Korea down to feudal times."

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also wrote on Facebook, "I was stunned the moment I heard this and had to double-check if it was really the president's remark," and said, "With such hypocrisy and lies, there is no way national governance can succeed. He is like a 'Jekyll and Hyde' person."

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party. / Photo by Yonhap News

The ruling party, without mentioning the controversial remarks by President Moon during the press conference, evaluated it as "a remarkable effort by the president to communicate with the people."

Choi In-ho, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, said at a National Assembly briefing, "The president honestly and thoroughly explained the overall national issues. He presented responsible and trustworthy measures in various ways," and added, "It was a meaningful press conference that gave the people hope and pride."

He continued, "The president also expressed his will to stabilize livelihoods and resolve polarization gaps to meet the people's expectations," and said, "The ruling party will actively support so that tangible results can be felt by the people in urgent livelihood areas such as real estate."

On the other hand, the opposition criticized, calling it a "meaningless 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, said in a statement, "If that was the case, why hold a press conference? The humble admission of failure and bold national policy shift were a solid delusion," and criticized, "The president is still 'socially distancing' from the desperate people, speaking to the void rather than the people. They said there were four rehearsals, but throughout the conference, the flashy set stood out more than the president's words."

Regarding President Moon's remarks on measures for adopted children, she said, "I couldn't believe my ears," and criticized, "Nowhere in the president's words as a human rights lawyer was there empathy, human rights, or human dignity. We who listened felt ashamed."

Meanwhile, the Blue House explained President Moon's "cancellation of adoption" remarks as "intended to supplement the 'pre-foster care' system, which is conventionally used with the consent of adoptive parents before adoption is finalized."

Kang Min-seok, Blue House spokesperson, said, "The president's remarks aimed to improve the adoption system to promote adoption," and added, "France, the UK, and Sweden legally implement pre-foster care systems. Above all, we emphasize once again that the child's happiness is the most important."

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