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Wed, March 22, 2023 | 19:27
Cheong Wa Dae calls Seoul's mayor `uncool'
靑, 직접 나서 박원순 회견 반박…"불안 확산 차단"
Posted : 2015-06-05 16:57
Updated : 2015-06-06 01:08
Kang Seung-woo
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By Kang Seung-woo

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon presides over a meeting with mayors and heads of district offices at the Seoul City Hall, Friday./ Yonhap
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon presides over a meeting with mayors and heads of district offices at the Seoul City Hall, Friday.
/ Yonhap
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon faced attacks from his critics Friday for using the MERS situation to promote his potential presidential bid.

The attacks followed a Thursday night news conference in which he mentioned a doctor at a large hospital, now a confirmed patient, coming into contact with more than 1,000 people.

The late-night stunt highlighted the lack of leadership by the current government in dealing with the MERS situation which, according to a poll, has caused President Park Geun-hye's approval ratings to nose-dive to 34 percent.

The government, Cheong Wa Dae and President Park expressed regret about the mayor's move.

"Should a local government or a relevant agency singlehandedly attempt to tackle MERS, such an action can create a mess and bring no effective countermeasures," Park said during a visit to the National Medical Center in Seoul, where MERS patients are quarantined.

The visit was her first on-site inspection since the outbreak on May 20.

"In this respect, the central and local governments need to closely communicate with each other and make concerted efforts," she added.

"It is important for each local government and relevant body to first report to the central MERS countermeasure headquarters about its actions."

Earlier in the day, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, "Regarding the mayor's announcement, there are wildly different stories regarding the infected doctor."

"We are deeply concerned about rising public anxiety because of what he said."

The mayor decided to hold the press conference because he believed the central government and the Ministry of Health and Welfare were failing to share relevant information.

The mayor said the doctor in question attended a union meeting for the reconstruction of an apartment complex in Gaepo-dong, Seoul, which was attended by a total of 1,565 local people.

Gov't vows to punish rumormongers
Gov't vows to punish rumormongers
2015-06-05 18:37  |  National
Seoul to lends NK help to prevent MERS at inter-Korean industrial park
2015-06-05 15:43  |  North Korea

The presidential office said the mayor had it wrong.

"According to the welfare ministry, it asked the Seoul Metropolitan Government to submit the attendee list of the union meeting Tuesday, but the latter didn't. In addition, the two sides agreed to take necessary measures after obtaining the list the next day," it said.

Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo accused Mayor Park of creating undue public concern.

"The ministry swiftly performed an epidemiologic investigation in the wake of the MERS confirmation in the doctor and contacted Seoul City about countermeasures," Moo said in a briefing.

"The Seoul mayor should have been cautious in the public announcement saying that all the attendees were prone to MERS infection in terms of personal protection."

Meanwhile, the run-in extended to the National Assembly.

The ruling Saenuri Party, currently on bad terms with the presidential office due to a revision to the National Assembly Law, joined hands with it to bash the Seoul mayor.

"The Seoul mayor needs to cooperate with the government to contain the spread of MERS and ease public concern, but he held an emergency briefing releasing an untruthful story which has intensified the anxiety among the people," Saenuri floor leader Yoo Seong-min said at a party meeting.

He also called on the government to consider releasing information at a proper level and strengthening the quarantine, saying MERS has put the country into a national crisis situation.

On the other hand, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) supported the Seoul mayor, urging President Park Geun-hye to spearhead government efforts to tackle MERS.

"As Mayor Park took his own preventive measures, President Park should do such a thing for the nation," NPAD Chairman Moon Jae-in said in a party meeting.

"Seoul is on alert against MERS as the government's actions have turned out to be ineffective. It should review its countermeasures," Moon said.

Political analysts said that Thursday's press conference may bring adverse effects to the Seoul mayor, who is seen as one of the NPAD's strong presidential candidates.

"The announcement is a kind of populist move to show that he can effectively deal with the disease unlike President Park," said Professor Chung Goon-gi of Hongik University.

"Given that MERS is a national disaster, the mayor should have discussed it with the health minister and held a joint press conference with him."




靑, 직접 나서 박원순 회견 반박…"불안 확산 차단"

청와대 컨트롤 타워 모양새 부각 '메르스 국정 최우선' 
'정부 늑장·미숙 대응' 비판 여론도 진화 시도 

청와대가 5일 전날 밤 박원순 서울시장의 메르스(중동호흡기증후군) 관련 기자회견에 대해 강한 우려를 표명했다.

청와대 관계자는 이날 오전 예정에 없던 춘추관 브리핑을 자처, '박 시장의 어젯밤 발표 내용을 둘러싸고 관계되는 사람들의 말이 서로 다르다. 그래서 불안감과 혼란이 커지는 그런 상황에 대해 매우 우려하고 있다'고 밝혔다. 

박 시장의 회견 내용은 서울소재 병원의 한 의사가 메르스 확진 판정을 받기 이전에 이미 1천500여명의 시민과 직간접적으로 접촉했는데도 정부가 이들을 격리조치하지 않아 서울시가 직접 대응에 나서겠다는 것이었다. 

이를 두고 청와대는 '박 시장 발표내용과 보건복지부가 설명하는 내용을 보면 상이한 점이 상당히 많이 발견된다'며 진실공방이 벌어지고 있다는 점을 강조했다.

메르스 확산 사태로 국민적 혼란이 커진 상황에서 야권의 유력 대권주자 중 한명인 박 시장이 정부의 방역조치를 정면 비판하자 '정확한 사실 확인이 우선돼야 한다'며 불안감 확산을 차단하는 조치를 취한 것으로 풀이된다.

여기에는 박 시장이 보건복지부와의 협조 절차나 확실한 사실파악 없이 서울시 주장만을 근거로 일방적 회견을 함으로써 오히려 정부에 대한 불신과 국민적 불안감을 가중시켰다는 판단도 깔린 것으로 보인다.

청와대는 박 시장의 전날 회견을 지켜본 직후 복지부 등을 상대로 정확한 사실관계 확인에 나섰고, 그 결과 박 시장의 회견 내용의 일부가 사실과 맞지 않다는 점을 파악한 것으로 알려졌다.

박 시장이 회견에서 35번 환자 동선 정보를 공유받지 못했다고 주장한데 대해 '지난 2일 복지부가 재건축 조합에 모임 참석자 명단을 요청했지만 받지 못했고, 3일 서울시와 복지부가 이 부분에 관해 논의를 해 명단이 입수되면 서로 필요한 조치를 하기로 했다고 저희들은 파악하고 있다'고 반박한 것도 이러한 사실 확인을 전제로 이뤄진 것이라는게 청와대 관계자들의 전언이다. 

청와대는 이처럼 박 시장 회견 내용 중 사실과 다른 부분을 구체적으로 지목했지만 재건축 조합 모임 참석자 전원을 격리할 필요성을 놓고 서울시와 복지부가 의견 대립을 하는 부분에 대해서는 별다른 언급을 하지 않았다.

모임 참석자 가운데 일부라도 확진 판정을 받을 경우 박 시장의 지적대로 정부의 대응이 잘못됐고 청와대도 이에 동조했다는 비판에 직면할 수 있다는 점에서 조심스런 입장을 취한 것으로 보인다.

이와 함께 청와대 관계자의 이날 브리핑이 문형표 보건복지부 장관이 정부세종청사에서 박 시장의 발표에 강한 유감을 표명하기 1시간 전에 전격적으로 이뤄졌다는 점도 주목된다. 어찌보면 청와대가 이례적으로 서울시 회견 내용에 대해 반박하는 모양새가 됐기 때문이다.

이와 관련, 박 시장이 야권의 대표적 차기 주자라는 점이나 그가 정부의 방역조치를 '미온적'이라고 강하게 비판하고 나섰다는 점에서 국민 여론이 더욱 악화할 가능성이 큰 것도 청와대가 직접 나서게 된 배경이라는 해석이 제기된다.

박 대통령이 지난달 20일 첫 확진환자가 발생한 이후 보름이 지난 지난 3일에야 긴급 대응회의를 직접 주재하는 등 범정부 차원의 대응이 늦거나 미숙한 것이 사태를 키웠다는 비판 여론이 거세지고, 이제라도 박 대통령이 전면에 나서서 대응해야 한다는 여론마저 들끓자 청와대가 메르스 대응의 컨트롤타워 역할에 집중하고 있다는 점을 적극적으로 알릴 필요성을 느꼈다는 것이다.

박 대통령도 이날 오후 청와대에서 열릴 '통일준비위원회 민간위원 집중토론회' 일정을 연기하고, 메르스 환자 격리와 치료의 최일선 현장인 국립중앙의료원의 국가지정 격리병상을 방문했다.

박 대통령이 메르스 대응 현장을 직접 방문한 것은 지난달 20일 국내 첫 확진 환자가 나온 뒤 17일 만이다. 청와대가 메르스 확산 사태를 국정의 최우선 순위에 놓고 대응키로 한 방침에 따라 이뤄진 현장 방문이다.

하지만 이처럼 청와대가 직접 서울시에 대응한 것을 계기로 자칫 박 대통령이 박 시장과 사사건건 대비되는 결과가 초래될 수도 있다는 점은 청와대로서는 부담으로 작용할 수도 있을 전망이다.

당장 새정치민주연합 문재인 대표는 '박 시장이 서울시민의 안전을 위해 직접 나서서 서울시 자체 방역대책을 마련하듯이 박 대통령도 지금 나서서 중심을 잡고 진두지휘하는 모습을 보여주길 바란다'고 촉구했다. (연합뉴스)
Emailksw@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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