Yoon Hee-sook: "Time Magazine says President Moon is delusional... Don't embarrass the people"

"Interview Initiative by Cheong Wa Dae Lacks Realism"

Part of the article related to President Moon Jae-in in the Asia edition of the US weekly magazine 'Time' posted by Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party. / Photo by Facebook Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Yoon Heesook, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the fact that the July issue of the U.S. weekly magazine Time Asia edition featured President Moon Jae-in on its cover, saying, "The Blue House boasted about it, but when I looked into the content, my face felt hot with embarrassment." She pointed out that a closer look at the article reveals criticism of President Moon.

On the 25th, Yoon wrote on her Facebook, "I wonder how out of touch the Blue House is to push this interview as a promotional strategy," expressing her criticism.

Earlier, on the 24th, Time released the cover image of the July issue featuring President Moon’s face on its website. The article spotlighting President Moon is titled "President Moon’s Last Attempt to Heal the Homeland." This is the second time President Moon has graced the cover of Time, the first being in May 2017, about four years ago.

According to the article, President Moon described North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as "very honest, ambitious, and showing strong decisiveness," and said he "also has an international sensibility."

Assemblyman Yoon criticized the Blue House, describing President Moon Jae-in's appearance on the cover of Time magazine as an "unrealistic publicity strategy." / Photo by Facebook capture

However, Time expressed skepticism about President Moon’s responses. The magazine pointed out, "He (Kim Jong-un) is the person who killed his uncle (Jang Song-thaek) and half-brother (Kim Jong-nam) like a cold-blooded killer," and added, "(Kim Jong-un) has led 'human rights crimes' including purges, torture, sexual violence, and long-term induced famine."

It also claimed, "Many North Korea observers view President Moon’s unwavering defense of Kim Jong-un as close to delusional."

Regarding this, Yoon said, "It may not be important how foreign media evaluate our president, but 'delusional' means entering a realm of irrationality, so we need to look into the reasons," and criticized, "The dictionary definition of delusional is 'a pathological misjudgment or conviction,' 'stubbornly holding an unshakable belief supported by emotion.'"

She continued, "Looking at the reasons, unsurprisingly, it accurately points out what we have wanted to hide about our president," and criticized, "That is, vouching for the inner nature of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un."

She added, "Whatever the motive, I support the president’s efforts to advance inter-Korean relations," but urged, "Please strive within a rationality worthy of respect in the international community. The Blue House’s misconception that anything can be said in the name of the nation and false vouching is acceptable must end. Please stop making the people embarrassed any longer."

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