野 "Moon's Selfie Obsession at Overseas Tourist Spots" Criticized, Tak Hyun-min Says "Malicious... Concerned About Diplomatic Impropriety"

Kim Byung-min "The people's suffering has reached its peak, but Moon is not by their side in times of crisis"
Tak Hyun-min "The wickedness of using the goodwill and friendliness of foreign leaders as material to criticize the president"

On the 15th, President Moon Jae-in, who completed his state visit to Australia, left a message on social networking service (SNS). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Tak Hyunmin, the Blue House Protocol Secretary, sharply criticized the opposition's backlash after President Moon Jae-in, who completed his visit to Australia, shared a photo with the Australian Prime Minister and his spouse, saying, "The opposition's diplomatic blunder is truly worrisome."

On the 16th, Tak posted on his Facebook, calling it "malicious to use the host country's leader's goodwill and friendly gestures as a reason to criticize the president," and added, "While it may benefit them in some way, it causes great harm to national interests."

He pointed out, "The Australian Prime Minister and the Australian people will also see these comments and articles. I hope the opposition considers how their remarks, attaching all sorts of interpretations to a single photo taken at the invitation of their own Prime Minister during a friendly event, will be understood."

He continued, "The visit to Australia was a matter of great concern due to the severe COVID-19 situation, including Omicron, but there were strong repeated requests from the host country, and there were many aspects necessary for our interests, such as the export of K9 self-propelled howitzers and securing critical mineral supply chains. Therefore, the visit was conducted with more thorough quarantine management than ever before," explaining, "The delegation ate packed meals at every meal, individual movement was prohibited, and they were managed so that they could not leave the hotel except for official duties."

He added, "No matter what criticisms are made, one should understand that the president's work is not about focusing on one thing and one method at a time," emphasizing, "This visit must have involved reading and interpreting the complex interrelations of responses to the COVID situation, daily recovery, supply chain security, security, and defense industry matters, and making decisions accordingly." He also added, "I thought they knew but were doing it anyway, but it seems they do not know, which is very concerning."

Tak said, "On the last day of this visit, Australia allowed entry to South Korean citizens for the first time in three years. So far, the countries that have allowed entry are New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan."

Earlier, on the morning of the 15th, President Moon posted on his official social media a photo taken with his spouse and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his spouse, with the Sydney Opera House in the background. President Moon said, "I deeply thank Prime Minister Morrison, who warmly welcomed us and accompanied us with his family until the last day."

In response, Kim Byungmin, spokesperson for the People Power Party's Central Election Committee, released a statement saying, "President Moon, lost in a 'selfie frenzy' at an overseas tourist spot, does he have any regard for the suffering of the people?" He raised his voice, saying, "As COVID-19 cases hit record highs day after day and the medical field is practically collapsing, causing extreme suffering for the people, President Moon was not by the people's side in this moment of crisis."

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