Lee Jae-myung's National Disaster Emergency 'Publicity Priority' Excludes CDSC Headquarters, Collusion between Power and Media, Violating Disaster and Safety Act
President Lee Jae-myung's decision to prioritize public relations and propaganda over the central disaster response headquarters in the wake of the national intelligence fire appears to be a violation of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Act due to collusion between power and the media.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated on the 7th, "As the President mentioned on air, cooking programs on TV are playing a significant role in promoting K-food, a core part of Korean culture, to the world."
He added, "This broadcast was produced with the theme of 'K-food and ingredients we want to introduce to the world' and released on Netflix, so people around the world can watch it together, which is why I understand you appeared on it." Prime Minister Kim continued, "While simultaneously juggling Korea-US trade negotiations, directing the restoration of the government's computer network, and delivering Chuseok greetings, you are also serving as an evangelist for the globalization of K-food through your scheduled broadcast appearance.
That is the job of a president who must do his best in every moment and every issue of state affairs." He was the first to call President Lee a "K-food evangelist," and JTBC stated that it was an entertainment program titled "15-Minute Cooking Competition."
Following the fire on the 26th and his return to Korea, President Lee convened a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 27th. He then prioritized a promotional filming schedule on the 28th, convening a meeting at 5 p.m. afterward.
This violation of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters constituted a "presidential exception" to the "declaration of a state of emergency by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters."
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters was launched by the Prime Minister on the 27th pursuant to the Disaster and Safety Act. Prior to President Lee's meeting at 5 p.m. on the 28th, President Lee prioritized personal entertainment promotional filming during the national disaster declared under the Disaster and Safety Act. This constitutes dereliction of duty under the National Disaster and Safety Act.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, established under the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Act, was suspended by President Lee's "direction" from its launch on the morning of the 27th until 5:00 PM on the 28th.
On the 4th, the Office of the President issued a spokesperson's statement, stating, "A Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting was held on the 27th, presided over by the Prime Minister, and by 6:00 PM that day, the fire was completely extinguished." This statement limited the fire situation to the "fire situation" and relegated the "administrative information destruction incident" to a lower priority.
The spokesperson's statement continued, "President Lee convened an emergency response meeting at 10:50 AM on the 28th. He received reports from the three chiefs of staff of the Presidential Office, the director of the Crisis Management Center, the director of the National Situation Room, and the spokesperson, and discussed countermeasures. At this meeting, he ordered a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the afternoon of the 28th and conducted a review of the situation by each ministry."
This constitutes an admission that the President, by limiting the national disaster situation on the 28th to a "meeting" limited to his closest aides, completely disregarded the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) provisions of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (DSCH) by isolating the executive branch from access to the disaster.
In a situation where the CDSCH was leading the response to the paralysis of the executive branch's computer network, a "meeting limited to the President's close aides" constitutes "avoidance of the CDSCH."
Notably, during the "secret meeting of close aides," he announced that "the CDSCH would be held at 5 p.m. after the entertainment program recording," pushing the CDSCH meeting of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (DSCH) out of his personal schedule, a move that appears to be a serious dereliction of duty on the part of the President.
The presidential spokesperson then announced, "He then recorded the JTBC program 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' in the afternoon and then returned to preside over the CDSCH meeting at 5:30 p.m." This officially confirmed the President's "exemption from the CDSCH's application" during the CDSCH activation.
The incident of the president forcing the appearance of the commercial broadcasting entertainment program “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” which he repeatedly explained was to promote “Korean food” as part of K-culture, shows the “collusion between power and the media” in which the president directly “prioritized the promotion of the broadcasting company” for JTBC, the representative of which was Lee Kyu-yeon, the president’s senior secretary for public relations.
The Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the basis for the establishment of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters presided over by Prime Minister Kim, mandates "the establishment and implementation of plans for rapid response and recovery from damage" under Article 4 of the "National Responsibilities."
President Lee previously met with conservative journalist and former Korea Economic Daily editor-in-chief Jeong Gyu-jae on July 13th regarding the Minister of Education nominee, who had been embroiled in a plagiarism controversy, and stated, "I did not recommend him on my own; I was recommended to him. I feel bad because he seems to have some issues." This led to Lee's subsequent resignation.
The meeting that day was spearheaded by Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations Lee Kyu-yeon. Former Chief Editor Jeong also revealed that when he asked, "What do you think of Jin-sook (Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-sook)?", President Lee replied, "Perhaps a political choice will be made soon," leading to his "voluntary resignation."
In his inaugural address, President Lee declared that by introducing direct democracy, he would "strictly uphold the people's mandate for a new nation" and "communicate with the people anytime, anywhere, and create a true democratic republic where the people's sovereign will is routinely reflected in state affairs."
Regarding the appointment of Kang Hoon-sik, the President repeatedly emphasized his commitment to becoming a president for all, embracing and serving all citizens. This appointment reflects this commitment to national unity.
He announced, "As the right person to lead the new administration's reform efforts and public communication, he will always prioritize communication with the public in his work."
The self-promotional copy of 'Naengbuhae' clearly states that it is a "15-minute cooking competition between top stars," and nowhere is there any mention of 'promotion of K-culture and Korean food overseas,' which the president later advertised.
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