Mass infection at detention center leads to political wrangling over Moon's responsibility

President Moon Jae-in visits Seoul National Cemetery, Saturday. Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

President Moon Jae-in is being criticized for the government's lax handling of mass infections at the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul.

The opposition bloc is increasing its attack on the President, calling for him to make a personal apology and demanding a National Assembly review of the incident.

According to the justice ministry, Monday, 1,090 cases of COVID-19 infections have been reported among people related to the correctional facility including detainees, staff at the facility and their family members.

Since the facility emerged as a major hotbed for COVID-19, the authorities have been moving some of the detainees to some other detention centers to reduce density, but evidence abounds of the correctional authorities' poor handling of the situation as the cause of the mass infection.

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun already apologized for the situation, but the main opposition has criticized President Moon for not paying attention to the situation.

Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Kim Chong-in called on the President to apologize. "This is a result of the government's failed quarantine response," Kim said during a party meeting, Monday. "The management of a detention facility is entirely the government's responsibility. The primary responsibilities fall upon the justice minister and ultimately, the President."

The main opposition questioned the President's alleged indifference to the situation calling it incomprehensible, particularly given his background as a human rights lawyer and his emphasis throughout his political career on human rights.

"The number of infections has soared over 1,000, almost half the number of all the detainees. The values of life, safety and human rights have completely been ignored as the situation unfolded. President Moon said the people come first above anything else, but the situation at the Dongbu Detention Center shows the true face of the Moon administration and its hypocrisy."

Some politicians have likened him to the captain of the Sewol ferry, who became a target of public indignation for evading his responsibilities during the sinking of the ferry that resulted in the deaths of more than 300 passengers in 2014.

"There are some serious violations of human rights at detention centers and care facilities, but the Moon administration has abandoned its responsibility toward them. How is he different from the caption of the Sewol ferry who told the passengers to just put on a life jacket and wait," former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min wrote on his Facebook.

Other lawmakers of the PPP called on the need to introduce a National Assembly investigation and even a special counsel to look into the Dongbu case.

But the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hit back. "We accept the people's criticisms that the initial response of the government was insufficient. But the PPP's comparison to the Sewol ferry captain is a political attack. There is no consideration for the public in such political wrangling," Rep. Kang Sun-woo, a DPK spokesperson, said.

Cheong Wa Dae has said that the quarantine authorities have been dealing with the case and the President has given instructions.

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