President Moon Jae-in takes a photo with citizens after planting pine trees in a reforestation area in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Arbor Day, Sunday. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



Politicians are coming under fire for flouting social distancing guidelines at a critical juncture in containing COVID-19.

Many citizens have been baffled by President Moon Jae-in's activities in recent days as he has continued to travel outside Seoul to participate in events with large crowds, with criticisms rising that such activities go against his own social distancing recommendations.

On Saturday, the government decided to extend social distancing for another two weeks until April 19 in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. On the day, Moon himself urged citizens to practice social distancing to prevent mass infections.

"The number of new cases dropped and then went up again due to group infections," Moon wrote in a post on social media. "We must prevent cluster infections. If this keeps occurring, not only medical workers but the entire country will be drained."

But Moon traveled to Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday, to take part in an Arbor Day event. The area Moon visited had suffered major fire damage in April 2019. About 40 citizens and firefighters, along with Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon, participated.

During the event, Moon was seen coming into close contact with local residents and posing for group photos, sometimes without wearing a face mask. He also wrote on social media after the event, "Because of the coronavirus, we are practicing social distancing. But despite all this, we must still keep up with planting trees and restoring our forests."

The visit to Gangwon Province was the President's third regional visit this month. On April 1, he visited an industrial complex in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. On April 3, he went to Jeju Island to participate in a commemorative event for the victims of the April 3 Jeju Uprising.

The opposition parties have lashed out at the regional visits, saying they not only go against the social distancing guidelines, but also were inappropriate during the campaign period for the April 15 general election.

"Just yesterday, the government announced a two-week extension on the strict social distancing period, and President Moon also posted a message in this regard on social media," Jeong Yeon-guk, a senior spokesperson for the main opposition United Future Party's (UFP) election committee, said Sunday. "But he visited a province with a large number of aides and stood close to residents to take group photos. What a discordance between words and actions!"

He added, "As this is the official campaign period for the April 15 general election, these events are bound to be seen as acts to influence the election."

Not only the President but also other politicians have been criticized for undermining the social distancing guidelines recommended by the government, such as wearing masks in public places and keeping a two-meter distance between persons in a group setting.

During campaigning, many candidates shake hands with residents, and even hug and talk with them often without wearing masks.

Lee Nak-yon, candidate for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the Jongno District in Seoul, shook hands with merchants at a traditional market in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Friday. Lee is the chief of the DPK's COVID-19 response committee.

His rival for Jongno, UFP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, was also seen hugging a resident at a park in Seoul, with Hwang not wearing a face mask properly and the resident not wearing one at all.