"Be Grateful for Free Childcare," Says Moon... Ruling Party Recalls "Adoption Cancellation Remarks"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former President Moon Jae-in's comment on the 'Pungsan dog abandonment' controversy, stating "Over the past six months, I should rather be thanked for raising and loving the presidential pet free of charge," has sparked a wave of criticism from the ruling party.

On the morning of the 10th, Choi Jae-hyung, a member of the People Power Party, posted on his social network service (SNS), "The Facebook post saying 'You should rather be thankful for raising it free of charge for the past six months' shows no tenderness or sadness about parting with a pet that was said to be like family, only coldness and harshness," adding, "It sounds like the cry of a woman asking Solomon to divide a living child in half."

Choi also referred to former President Moon's remarks during the 2021 New Year's press conference when asked about measures to prevent a recurrence of the 'Jung-in case,' mentioning "adoption cancellation or changing the adopted child," and criticized, "Former President Moon's statement that if adoptive parents change their minds, they can cancel the adoption or change the adopted child comes to mind again."

He said, "There are various reasons given, but it seems that the main reason is that the government does not provide 2.5 million won monthly for dog care," and added, "Citizens who pay taxes regularly should be grateful just for not being charged for the six months of free care."

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also criticized via SNS, saying, "This is not something someone who has served as president should say," and added, "Once you get attached, a dog is family. You don't live in a detached house suitable for raising dogs and then say that."

He questioned, "Even the money received after retirement is much more than that of current metropolitan mayors, so is the cost of raising three dogs really such a burden?"

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