Lee faces backlash over variety show appearance amid national network outage

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Sept. 28, to address the aftermath of a fire that broke out at the National Information Resources Service facility in Daejeon Sept. 26 and disrupted hundreds of online public services. Joint Press Corps

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung are facing criticism for appearing on the Chuseok special episode of JTBC’s variety show "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator" amid an ongoing national crisis triggered by a fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS).

In the program, renowned chefs examine the contents of guests’ refrigerators and prepare meals using them. The presidential office explained that the presidential couple’s appearance on the program was planned to promote Korean food.

However, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and other critics questioned whether it was appropriate for the president to take part in the entertainment program in the middle of the unprecedented nationwide network outage.

The fire broke out on Sept. 26 at the NIRS facility in Daejeon, disrupting 647 online government services, including key first-tier administrative networks.

During the major disruptions, a government official in his 50s who was involved in the system recovery effort died in an apparent suicide at the Government Complex Sejong, Friday.

The PPP argued that the president’s participation in the entertainment program during such a national disaster was inappropriate, saying that Lee wasted the “golden time” for public safety and fire recovery while filming the program. The party also linked the issue to the death of the government official.

“While government officials worked overnight to restore the systems, it has come to light that the president and first lady were enjoying themselves on a variety show,” PPP spokesman Rep. Park Sung-hoon said. “At a time when a responsible official was in such distress that he ultimately took his own life, the president was preoccupied with image politics.”

Park added, “The public cares less about what’s in the presidential couple’s refrigerator and more about the president’s actions and whereabouts during a national crisis. An honest apology is now needed.”

PPP lawmaker Joo Jin-woo further claimed that presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung issued a false briefing suggesting that the opposition party’s concerns were baseless and even threatened legal action.

A police car is parked in front of the National Information Resources Service facility in Daejeon, Thursday, as the dedicated investigation team of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a raid related to the fire that broke out Sept. 26. The fire, caused by a lithium-ion battery at the facility, which houses the government’s computer systems, led to a large-scale disruption of government online services. Yonhap

In response, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea called the criticism an “excessive political attack.”

The presidential office also highlighted Lee’s normal handling of the situation by releasing a detailed account of his schedule, instructions and actions over the two days immediately following the NIRS fire. The rare disclosure of the president’s activities in detail was interpreted as an effort to prevent unnecessary controversy.

According to presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, the NIRS fire broke out on the night of Sept. 26 at around 8:15 p.m., and Lee returned home from his U.S. trip at around 8:40 p.m. that same evening.

“From the moment of his return, Lee was continuously updated on the fire, carefully assessing the damage and the government’s response, and issuing necessary directives,” Kim said in a written briefing Saturday.

Noting that the program was recorded on the afternoon of Sept. 28, Kim explained that before the recording, Lee presided over an emergency response meeting regarding the fire, and after the recording, Lee also led a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Kim asserted that there was no issue with Lee’s handling of the situation.

Regarding the death of the government official, President Lee posted on Facebook, “I offer my condolences for the deceased, who dedicated himself to the public until his final moments in fulfilling his duties as a civil servant, and I join the nation in mourning. We will always remember his sacrifice and tireless efforts behind the scenes as the country worked to restore daily life and overcome the crisis.”

The presidential office requested JTBC to delay the broadcast of the program, apparently deeming it inappropriate to air the variety show during a period of mourning.

Consequently, the program, originally scheduled for Sunday, was rescheduled to air at 10 p.m. Monday.