Kim Young-hwan "Disobedience to Kim Moran-style 4-step distancing... President must apologize"

Former Kim Young-hwan, former member of the Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party)
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Former Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) lawmaker Kim Young-hwan recently fiercely criticized the government's application of Level 4 social distancing measures amid the fourth wave of COVID-19.

On the 12th, Kim posted on his Facebook, "The ban on gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. violates constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights, and I refuse to comply with the government's Kim Moran-style Level 4 distancing."

Kim stated, "Therefore, this measure must be used very delicately and cautiously, and it is important to recognize that forcing it even under the special circumstances of COVID-19 could be considered violence imposed by the state on its citizens. This measure restricts citizens' fundamental rights without constitutional grounds despite the special situation of COVID-19, and depending on perspective, it is more violent than the emergency measures during the Yushin era. It is totalitarian, unilateral, and anti-democratic," he repeatedly criticized.

He continued, "This could be a problem with a higher fatality rate than COVID-19 eradication," and argued, "Even the WHO recommends 'Targeted Intervention' by each country, designating necessary places and times because stopping the economy can have a profound impact on individuals and society." He then questioned, "First of all, who and on what grounds limited social distancing to two people after 6 p.m.? Was there any public discussion or consensus process?"

Kim then demanded, "To live under the same sky with you, I make the following demands: First, the Blue House must take responsibility for this situation, dismiss the quarantine secretary, and the president must apologize. Second, the two-person distancing rule must be stopped unconditionally after two weeks regardless of the results. Third, losses of small business owners during this period must be compensated 100%. Fourth, resolve the issue quickly through transparent vaccine procurement reporting and rapid vaccination. Democracy in this country is still far away," he urged.

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