“A leftist connection behind Brazil egg imports?” ... Lee: “We must show that false agitation is not influence”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung said on the 13th, regarding the spread of false information about eggs imported from Brazil, “There is a need to firmly demonstrate that agitation based on falsehoods is not a sign of influence or competence.”
Kang Yoo-jung, the Blue House senior spokesperson, said in a written briefing on the results of the 44th Cabinet meeting that day that Lee made this point after asking Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong during a closed-door meeting how the government was responding to the spread of false information about eggs imported from Brazil.
Lee also stressed the need for imports to ensure a stable supply of daily necessities. Kang said Lee reiterated that the essence of administration is to import supplies to make up for domestic shortages, expand sources of supply, and provide goods to the public reliably so they do not experience inconvenience.
Earlier, documents disclosed during a parliamentary audit showed that the import cost of Brazilian eggs, including transportation costs, was 1,300 won per egg, or 39,000 won for a carton of 30, sparking controversy over the high price of the imports. On the 10th, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok posted on social media, “A leftist connection even behind egg imports?” and raised suspicions of a link between South Korea-Brazil summit diplomacy and the decision to import the eggs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that the import was a small-volume pilot to diversify an import structure centered on the United States in preparation for avian influenza (AI). Minister Song also said at a parliamentary audit on the 7th, in response to questions about a connection to the summit, “It has nothing to do with that.”
At a public meeting that day, Lee also called for acts such as spreading false information for personal gain and misleading and deceiving the public (creating turmoil in society and deceiving the people), or violating human rights to make money, to be thoroughly investigated and for those responsible to be held to account accordingly.
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter