LKP member calls quake 'God's warning' against Moon government

By Kim Rahn

An opposition politician has caused controversy with her remark that the recent earthquake in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, was a “grave warning” for the Moon Jae-in government.

Ryu Yeo-hae, a senior member of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s (LKP) Supreme Council, said at a party meeting Friday, “It is said the Pohang earthquake was a grave warning from God to the Moon government, the will of Heaven. The Moon administration should not ignore this.”

She made the remark while criticizing the government’s drive to eradicate “deep-rooted social evils,” which mainly targets the alleged wrongdoings of the previous conservative administrations.

The comment immediately drew backlash from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which demanded Ryu resign from the party’s Supreme Council and make a public apology to Pohang residents.

“It is time for the government, the opposition and the ruling blocs to join hands to come up with countermeasures for this disaster, but Ryu’s remarks were like throwing a damp towel on the efforts,” DPK vice spokesman Hyun Geun-taek said. “It also ran counter to LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo’s earlier pledge to support the government’s quake recovery efforts.”

Internet users also criticized Ryu. “Are you saying Pohang people received divine punishment?” a blogger said.

“It is like the thinking of people in the Joseon Kingdom era who believed the Heavens got angry when the sun was temporarily unseen during a solar eclipse,” another blogger said.

As the criticism rose, Ryu said Friday on Facebook that she did not mention the word “divine punishment” and would respond sternly to “fake news.”

Hyun of the DPK then said, “Her pledge to sternly respond to fake news is an incoherent answer. Doesn’t she understand people are criticizing her for taking advantage of this national disaster for political purposes?”