President Moon, "I Have Received Countless Matadors, But This Is Outrageous"

[경향신문]

President Moon Jae-in attends and gives a special address at the virtual session of the 2021 World Economic Forum (WEF) at Cheongwadae on the afternoon of January 27. Yonhap News

On January 31, Cheongwadae firmly responded to the People Power Party’s attacks in connection to the allegation that the Moon Jae-in government tried to build a nuclear power plant in North Korea, and is reportedly considering legal action. President Moon Jae-in fiercely refuted the opposition party’s accusation of “helping the enemy” and said, “I have received countless matadors (black propaganda), but this is outrageous.”

This day, a Cheongwadae official said over the phone, “The opposition party leader’s words of ‘helping the enemy’ is a comment that we can not ignore,” and said, “We are reviewing legal action.” On January 29, Kim Chong-in, chairman of the People Power Party emergency committee used the expression “a shocking act helping the enemy” when describing the Moon Jae-in government in connection to the controversial plan to construct a nuclear power plant in North Korea. Over the weekend, Cheongwadae, centered on the office of the senior secretary for civil affairs, reviewed the possibility of legal action and the level of response it would take.

In an internal meeting on January 29, President Moon also said, “I have received countless matadors, but this is outrageous,” expressing his discomfort at the latest attacks. A senior Cheongwadae official said, “President Moon’s words meant that Kim Chong-in’s comment went too far. He crossed the line,” and added, “The president was taken aback at the groundless accusations.” He also said, “President Moon never thought of anything like that (constructing a nuclear power plant in North Korea),” and further said, “It’s not even possible for the two Koreas to secretly do something like that.”

Politicians seem to think it unusual for Cheongwadae to continue to respond firmly to the comments by the opposition party leader. It is seen as an attempt to block any black propaganda early on to prevent the allegations from spreading any further. Cheongwadae may also have considered the current situation South Korea is facing--a critical moment in the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, with the launch of the Joe Biden administration in the U.S.

However, Cheongwadae did not clearly respond to the request of opposition party figures, who demanded an investigation into the truth, such as a prosecutor’s investigation. If the issue leads to an investigation, it could continue to fuel political controversy regardless of the truth. This is why some people argue that Cheongwadae and the ruling party must continue the hardline stance. One ruling party politician said over the phone, “The outrageous allegation raised by the opposition party is not worth responding to,” and also said, “Are we supposed to investigate and audit such fiction-like stories, too?”