Are Members of the National Assembly VIPs? Ruling Party's Kim Min-seok Sparks Controversy Over 'COVID Test Queue Jumping'

Get Tested Before the Citizens Who Were Waiting in Line

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Min-seok.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Controversy has arisen after it was revealed that Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok received a COVID-19 test ahead of other citizens.

According to SBS on the 3rd, Kim visited a hospital located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, his constituency, on the 2nd to get tested for COVID-19. He arrived at the hospital around 9:10 a.m. and was immediately tested following the hospital staff's guidance.

However, dissatisfaction erupted among citizens who had been waiting on-site. One citizen explained to SBS, "When Kim entered, two or three people came down to attend to him, and while we were standing in line, he went inside. Many elderly people were also waiting. We waited for almost an hour ourselves," describing the situation.

The hospital stated, "We usually do not accept reservations for COVID-19 tests." They added, "Only VIPs or emergency patients are allowed to be tested first if necessary," and noted, "We received a call the day before that Kim would be coming."

Kim's side explained, "He visited the hospital to receive the test results on the same day because he had a luncheon meeting with the president the next day," and clarified, "There were about five to six citizens in line at the time, and he was tested following the hospital's guidance without requesting any special treatment."

Meanwhile, today (the 4th), Shin In-kyu, the full-time deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, commented on the 'cutting in line for testing' controversy, saying, "Is only a lawmaker's time precious?" He questioned, "The hospital explained that Kim was classified as a 'VIP' and was tested first, but is it really justifiable for a lawmaker elected by the people to skip long lines of citizens to get tested?"

He also criticized, "The Democratic Party, which led the call to 'give up lawmakers' privileges,' has once again shown a different face inside and out," adding, "Political distrust does not stem from major faults; it deepens due to accumulated inappropriate actions like Kim's cutting in line for testing."

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