Opposition, President Yoon: "'Condolence Cancellation' Planned Delay... Diplomacy Without Results" Under Fire for Four Days

Kim Eui-gyeom "Yoon Could Have Attended Queen's Condolence... 22-Hour Gap Raises Questions"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Seong-hwan, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, attended the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd, holding up a placard related to attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom while speaking. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Democratic Party of Korea continued its relentless offensive for the fourth day over the controversy surrounding President Yoon Suk-yeol's cancellation of condolence attendance at the British Queen's funeral.

On the 22nd, Kim Sung-hwan, the Policy Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party, said at the policy coordination meeting, "We cannot understand why the British Queen's condolence was missed. Although it was said to be due to traffic conditions, it seems the key reason was the change in departure time." He added, "There was a notification to depart at 7 a.m. on the 18th, but on the 15th, a lecture by Cheongong's Jeongbeop titled 'A foul energy may come, so you should not go' was uploaded. The next day, on the 16th, the departure time was changed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m."

Kim said, "As a result, President Yoon's party arrived at London airport local time at 3:35 p.m., unable to pay respects and had no choice but to head straight to King Charles II's dinner at 6 p.m. If they had departed at 7 a.m., there would have been ample time to pay respects. I seriously ask President Yoon and the Presidential Office: why was the 7 a.m. departure time changed to 9 a.m. two days before departure?"

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom also appeared on radio that day and said regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's failure to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, "I am convinced that the visit was deliberately avoided. The Yongsan Presidential Office says it was due to traffic congestion, but I think it was a deliberate and planned delay."

Kim said, "Even if the schedule could be moved up by two hours, it cannot be postponed. The Vice Foreign Minister said the delay was because the airport runway was not available. The airport where President Yoon arrived is 60 km away from the site. However, there are 10 airports within that radius in London. Runways could have been opened as needed, and if not, the schedule should have been moved earlier. They deliberately went two hours late," he claimed.

He also mentioned the approximately 22-hour gap in the UK visit schedule. He questioned, "New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss tried to make time to meet, but Kim Eun-hye, the presidential office's chief of public relations, proudly said they couldn't meet because they were busy. What on earth was done during the empty 22 hours?"

Democratic Party floor spokesperson Oh Young-hwan also criticized President Yoon's "diplomacy without achievements." After the policy meeting, he said in a back briefing, "After all this diplomatic time ends, and regarding what achievements were brought back, the government side will provide explanations, and through clear analysis, an accurate and objective evaluation will be made."

He added, "Just looking at what has been revealed, humiliating scenes with no national interest achievements have been exposed in a dismal manner, so the achievements must be evaluated objectively and thoroughly reported to the public."

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