Cha Myung-jin's Offensive Remarks on "Immoral Acts in Sewol Tent"... United Future Party Considers Expulsion (Update)

Cha Myung-jin, Bucheon-si Byeong Division Committee Chairman of the Liberty Korea Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] The United Future Party has decided to push for the expulsion of Cha Myung-jin, the candidate for Bucheon B in Gyeonggi Province, who has once again sparked controversy with his offensive remarks about the Sewol Ferry tragedy.

A party election committee official stated, "We have confirmed that candidate Cha caused controversy by citing inappropriate reports related to the Sewol Ferry victims' families," adding, "We are reviewing his expulsion." The party plans to convene an ethics committee soon according to procedure.

Previously, at a debate hosted by OBS, candidate Cha referred to a media report, saying, "I already know about an article claiming that Sewol Ferry volunteers and victims' families engaged in indescribably immoral acts inside the tent." This remark came after Kim Sang-hee, the Democratic Party candidate, pointed out Cha's previous offensive remarks related to the Sewol Ferry.

He further questioned, "Are you aware that inappropriate things happened in the Sewol Ferry tent, which was considered a sanctuary and built with public donations out of sympathy from the people? Despite this, instead of showing remorse, there are people who accuse President Park Geun-hye and party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn as if they were the main culprits of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. I sharply rebuked those who exploited this to seize power, so why do they keep calling it offensive remarks?" This only intensified the controversy.

In April last year, candidate Cha stirred controversy by posting on his Facebook, saying that the Sewol Ferry victims' families "really exploit the public's sympathy for their children's deaths shamelessly." At that time, the Liberty Korea Party (now United Future Party) suspended Cha's party membership for three months as a disciplinary measure.

The United Future Party's immediate move to initiate expulsion procedures appears to be due to the repeated Sewol Ferry-related controversies and the approaching general election. On the same day, the party also decided to expel Kim Dae-ho, the candidate for Gwanak Gap in Seoul, who sparked controversy for derogatory remarks about people in their 30s and 40s as well as the elderly.