Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Senior presidential aide stirs concern over attending football game
Senior presidential aide for political affairs Choi Jae-sung arrives at a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with President Moon Jae-in and other senior aides, Monday. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Choi Jae-sung has caused a stir for showing up at a football game Nov. 29, at a time when the public are being urged to refrain from group activities to comply with the government's heightened social distancing regulations.
He attended a football game with the Samjeon Morning Football Club at a school in Songpa District, Seoul, Sunday. Choi, a former four-term lawmaker who is being considered among the possibilities for the next chief of staff, represented a district in Songpa in the 20th National Assembly and is known to be passionate about football.
This went against Cheong Wa Dae's own emergency measures for employees which have been in place since Nov. 23, instructing all people working at the presidential office to cancel or postpone gatherings and events amid the recent COVID-19 surge. “The Ministry of Personnel Management said it would reprimand government personnel in the event of an outbreak or spread of an infection, and this applies to employees at the presidential office as well,” presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said during briefing Nov. 23.
Critics say it is inappropriate for a key presidential aide to be careless about social distancing when the government is going all out for strict quarantine measures ahead of the national college entrance exam slated for Thursday.
The opposition criticized Choi for going to the game, especially as he had been refusing to meet with first-term lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who had been staging a protest in front of Cheong Wa Dae to call for the President's action on some of the most contentious issues such as the conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.
Choi had refused to meet with the PPP lawmakers and deliver their letter to President Moon Jae-in, citing “quarantine reasons.” Choi met them briefly, Monday, after they criticized him for considering a football game more important than a meeting with the opposition.
As the controversy grew, Choi offered a public apology, Monday evening. “I participated in the occasion to show support for the people who were adhering to quarantine guidelines, but I should have been more prudent,” Choi said in a text message to reporters. “I will try to be more careful about my behavior and judgment as a public official from now on.”
The presidential office provided a similar explanation, underlining that the presidential aide was wearing a mask during the game and kept social distancing guidelines when seated, and that the game was not followed by a meal.