President`s concerns over social conflict caused by pro-North event

President Park Geun-hye expressed concerns over the so-called pro-North concert on Monday, saying, “Social conflict caused by the following North Korea concert has reached a concerning level.”

At a meeting with her senior secretaries held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, she said, “Some figures turned a blind eye to horrible lives or human rights violation of North Koreans. They extorted and exaggerated some biased experiences as if it is reality.” The president’s comment aimed at "Concert to Know North Korea" led by Shin Eun-mi and Hwang Seon, former vice spokeswoman of the Democratic Labor Party.

“The entire world is concerned about human rights issues in North Korea, and the U.N. has adopted resolutions on human rights in North Korea. Only here in South Korea, direct stakeholder of the division of two Koreas, the opposite stories are told. It is extremely biased and extorted,” said President Park. “It is necessary to make efforts to know the reality in North Korea. However, such efforts must be made under the overarching principle that constitutional values and the nation’s identity should be protected."

On the issue of hosting some Winter Olympic events outside Pyeongchang, President Park said, “Pyeongchang won its bid to hold the Winter Olympics after three failed attempts and construction projects to build stadiums are now in progress. Against such backdrops, it is meaningless to discuss on hosting some sports events in other nation. The related ministries must respond to the IOC with clear and persuasive logics.” President Park also emphasized, “After hosting the Olympic Games, the Pyeongchang Olympics must be remembered as a well-prepared event by citizens of the world.”

President Park never mentioned about controversy over the "leakage of the presidential office`s internal memoranda that describes Jeong Yoon-hoe as a secret influential figure." She seemed to refrain from making comments about the scandal since her closest aide Lee Jae-man, senior presidential secretary for administrative affairs, was investigated by the prosecutors on Sunday, and her brother Park Ji-man’s attendance to the prosecution was imminent.

President Park spoke in subdued voice on that day and had a fit of coughing at the latter half of the meeting.