Cheong Wa Dae: "President Moon read COVID-19 reports until dawn... lips swollen and cracked"

The view of Cheongwadae from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Regarding the criticism from the opposition calling President Moon Jae-in's state visit to Australia "self-praise," Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House Chief of Public Communication, rebutted by saying, "Belittling even the achievements of a state visit is not an attitude befitting the country and its people."

On the 19th, Park posted on his Facebook page titled "Stories about the President Not in the Briefing," stating, "After returning from the Australian state visit, the President underwent a PCR test upon arrival in the country and immediately began reviewing COVID-19 related reports to assess the situation upon arriving at the official residence."

Park described the situation, saying, "The President's lips were swollen and cracked after just a few days apart. It was too painful even to see him, but considering the people suffering due to strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures, I could not even offer a word of appreciation such as 'How hard you have worked, Mr. President.'"

The Blue House revealed behind-the-scenes details of the Australia visit because criticism, mainly from the opposition, has recently been raised regarding the trip. On the 17th, Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, pointed out, "The President's social media should feature stories of medical staff and citizens fighting COVID-19, not selfies at tourist spots."

Park mentioned that he anticipated such criticism before the Australian state visit, explaining, "We could not postpone the state visit scheduled after repeated requests from Australia." He also added that President Moon's visit resulted in achievements such as securing critical minerals to strengthen supply chains and defense exports worth around 1 trillion won.

Park emphasized, "The President has apologized for causing additional hardship to the people due to insufficient preparation for the return to normal life amid COVID-19, but that does not justify belittling the achievements of the President's state visit to Australia, which is not an attitude befitting the country and its people."

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