All opposition parties criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol’s attendance at the opening ceremony of the Winter Festival on the 16th, the day before the 49th anniversary of the Itaewon disaster.
In a briefing on the 17th, Lim Oh-gyeong, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Korea, said: “The streets of Itaewon, where 49 re-enactments of the 10/29 disaster are taking place, were covered in tears. However, the government and the ruling party have not been able to hear the desperate cries of the grieving families and citizens,” he criticized, saying, “President Seok-yeol Yoon, couldn’t stop for a while at the 49th residual of the October 29 disaster?”
“The president, the prime minister and the interior and security minister didn’t even show their faces,” he said. She joked, “I guess I bought a drink because I like alcohol,” and it was always brilliant.
Spokesperson Lim said: “Is it really that difficult to participate, even for a moment, to pray for the souls of the victims and to pat the grieving families on the back? “It’s so hard to say, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,'” he said. “President Yoon stressed that the government and the ruling party are already ignoring the October 29 disaster before even launching a state investigation to uncover the truth and punish those responsible.”
At the same time, he stressed, “President Yoon, face the truth of the October 29 disaster head-on and don’t shy away from it” and “don’t hide from the responsibility for the disaster.”
Justice Party spokesman Ryu Ho-jeong also said in a written briefing that day, “The parents, family members, friends and lovers of the victims were unable to control their bodies with sadness and sometimes cried ” and “At the same time, President Yoon pressed the button to turn on the Christmas tree. The presidential couple’s big smile is dizzying,” he criticized.
He continued: “The National Assembly government’s investigation into the October 29 disaster did not begin until yesterday, or even today, when it was the 49th. He complained: ‘I really have nothing to say.’
Donga.com reporter Jo Yoo-kyung [email protected]
