Controversy Over 'Political Show' by Seocheon Mayor... Lee Jun-seok: "Yoon Went to Watch the Fire... Didn't Meet Affected Merchants"

Yoon Visited Seocheon Specialty Market Fire Site
Stayed for Only About 20 Minutes
"If Not Meeting Affected Merchants, Why Visit the Site?"

Criticism of a 'political show' targeting President Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, who visited the fire damage site at Seocheon Special Market in Chungnam side by side, is emerging. Some merchants protested, saying that President Yoon stayed at the site for about 20 minutes and "the president just took photos and left." In response, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, argued that this "adds more pain to a burning house."

On the 24th, Lee Jun-seok appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' and said, "A People Power Party official told the merchants in advance, 'The president is likely to come this time, so if you have any difficulties, you can talk about them,' and about 200 people gathered," adding, "However, the president stayed at the Seocheon site for just about 20 minutes."

He continued, "Due to the controversy over excessive security for Kang Seong-hee, a Progressive Party lawmaker, I heard that this time, too, they told the merchants on the second floor that they could not meet due to security and movement issues." Lee said, "Is there any security issue when visiting a fire damage site? If you are not going to meet the victims at the fire site, why did you go? Was it just to look around? It makes no sense." He pointed out, "What kind of conversation could have happened in 20 minutes? Rather, there was probably more time spent bumping shoulders with Chairman Han." He also said, "We go to the site to assess the damage and come up with solutions, but what meaning does a plan have if the voices of the parties involved are missing?"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, at the site of the fire at Seocheon Special Market in Seocheon-eup, Seocheon-gun, Chungnam on the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Huh Eun-ah, a Supreme Council member of the Reform New Party, also criticized, saying, "The president going in person is to soothe the pain on site, offer comfort, and give hope, but it is regrettable that the focus is on whether the conflict with Chairman Han was resolved rather than on safety inspections." On BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' Huh said, "If the ruling party and government are to show a horizontal relationship rather than a vertical one, and the People Power Party is to show its role as the ruling party, the president could have met the merchants on the second floor whom he could not visit during the conversation. It would have been more appropriate to show the president separately soothing public sentiment and listening to voices, so why show only the protocol side by side?"

Huh claimed that the conflict between the two was a 'promised duel.' He said, "They coordinated their schedules, even took the train together, and in the end, what Chairman Han said after getting off was not about the future of the Republic of Korea or the Seocheon market, but that trust in the president had not collapsed," adding, "Ultimately, it was a statement putting a period on what was a promised duel." He further pointed out, "When the controversy first started, it was said to be about Kim Geon-hee and nomination issues, but after that, neither of them made any statements or changes, and suddenly, within two days, they showed reconciliation."

The day before, President Yoon, who visited the Seocheon Special Market fire site, shook hands with Chairman Han and greeted him by lightly tapping his shoulder. Chairman Han gave President Yoon a 90-degree 'folder salute.' After staying at the site for about 20 minutes, President Yoon and Chairman Han left, but some merchants who could not meet the president protested, saying, "The president just took photos and left."

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