Security Office calls presidential residence security criticism on disaster anniversary "irresponsible agitation"

Democratic Party: "Deploying up to 200 Police Officers to Guard Vacant Houses"... Security Office Denies as "Political Attack"

On the 16th, one day before President Yoon Suk-yeol's 100th day in office, the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is shown. President Yoon, emphasizing the elimination of authoritarianism, moved the stage of state affairs from the former Blue House to Yongsan. With the president's office relocated to Yongsan, the Blue House has been fully opened to the public. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the 6th, the Presidential Security Service rebutted the Democratic Party of Korea's claim that the security at Hannam-dong residence was the cause of the 'Itaewon tragedy,' calling it "irresponsible agitation."

In a statement released that day, the Security Service said, "The Democratic Party claimed in a written briefing that the security duty at the residence was the cause of the Itaewon incident, but this is a clear falsehood and a fabricated, distorted agitation and political attack."

In particular, the Security Service stated, "Presidential security and protection are matters directly related to national security," and added, "To mislead the public by blaming the deployment of police personnel for such a critical mission as the cause of failing to protect citizens' lives and safety is reckless political agitation." They continued, "We cannot help but feel anger at the behavior of engaging in false agitation by riding on public outrage, slandering the security duty related to national security as 'guarding an empty house,' and distorting the facts by inflating the number of police personnel."

On the previous day, Democratic Party senior deputy spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong claimed in a written briefing, "It has been revealed that a large number of police personnel were deployed at President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife's Hannam-dong residence on the day of the Itaewon tragedy," and asserted, "About 200 police officers were deployed to guard the 'empty house' because the President and his wife postponed moving in."

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