hankyoreh

The actions taken by the Blue House are at odds with public sentiment, which has chilled after the sinking of the Sewol ferry. The Blue House has had the audacity to talk about filing lawsuits against newspapers that have run reports about it, and it has also expressed its frustration about family members of victims who have criticized President Park Geun-hye. In a situation where Park ought to be prostrating herself to apologize for the total incompetence of the government, which has been broadcast for the world to see, it is frustrating to see that she is still unaware of the severity of the situation and the anger of the public.

Responding to the bereaved families who criticized Park, saying that a private apology is no apology at all, Blue House spokesperson Min Kyung-wook said that the remarks were “regrettable and unfortunate.” One cannot help but scratch one’s head in confusion. The general view in the public is that Park’s apology was inappropriate both in its form and its content. Even conservative newspapers took issue with it, asking whether the public would really be able to accept the method of Park’s apology.

Based on this alone, it is completely understandable that the bereaved families, whose hearts have been broken by the tragedy, would step forward to oppose the president’s equivocal apology. The dictionary defines the word “yugam,” or “regret,” as “a lingering feeling of grievance or sorrow caused by dissatisfaction.” We are curious about why Min would have expressed grievance and sorrow about the bereaved families. Is this supposed to mean that, since the President apologized, the bereaved families should accept the apology without protest? This reaction is really hard to fathom.

The Blue House’s reaction to a report by the Hankyoreh has been ludicrous as well. When a Hankyoreh story claimed that a comment had been posted on the Blue House’s “Shinmungo” website three months before the Sewol accident describing frequent accidents and habitual violation of the maximum number of passengers on passenger ships operated by Cheonghaejin Marine Co., the Blue House’s first response was to talk about lawsuits and legal action.

As soon as reports were printed that tried to hold the Blue House responsible for the Sewol disaster, the Blue House was so disconcerted that it began thinking about how to control the press with the threat of lawsuits. This shows that the Blue House has still not gotten over its arrogance. It must be asked if this is the right time for the Blue House to threaten the press with lawsuits.

Furthermore, the Blue House’s explanation did not fit the facts. “The Blue House does not even have a ‘Shinmungo,‘” Min said. But on the Blue House website, a section called ‘the people’s Shinmungo’ is clearly visible. The Blue House glossed over the facts to try to dodge the bullet.

The sharp divide between the feelings of the public and the attitude of the advisors at the Blue House is due to the fact that they are more concerned with humoring the President than with paying attention to popular sentiment and lending an ear to public opinion. If this continues, the Blue House will gradually be isolated on an island that is cut off from popular sentiment. It is inevitable that the public’s mistrust and criticism of the government will increase. This will also have unhappy consequences for President Park Geun-hye.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]