[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jo Hae-jin, a member of the Future United Party, stated regarding the 'Yoon Mi-hyang incident' that "the stronger the moral justification of a movement, the more explanations need to be provided," and revealed that in the past, he had raised issues about illegal accounting practices in civic groups.
On the 29th, on YTN Radio's 'Noh Young-hee's Start of a New Morning,' Rep. Jo pointed out, "In politics, within the Democratic Party, and among other civic groups, the attitude of collectively shielding them actually damages the pure sympathy and support that the general public had previously held," emphasizing this perspective.
He said, "Generally, moral issues of organizations, and furthermore legal issues, are pointed out, but I have never belittled or disparaged the efforts to resolve the comfort women issue centered around Jeong Dae-hyeop or Justice and Memory," adding, "The stronger the moral justification of this movement, the more thoroughly explanations should be made for parts that could damage it, and apologies should be offered where necessary."
Referring to a column from a media outlet, Rep. Jo said, "The column mentioned, 'In the past, there were such poor practices. But now they must be corrected, and past practices should not be judged by today's standards.' I see it differently," and continued, "For example, giving the Blue House special activity expenses from the National Intelligence Service was a practice in past administrations, but since it is not allowed by today's standards, it is unavoidable to face consequences such as imprisonment."
He added, "Normally, common sense dictates that the values of an era should be judged by the standards of that era, but history is not like that. Past events are always judged by the values, legal sentiments, and legal standards of the present," pointing out, "This is evident in issues like past history cases, and even Supreme Court retrials that overturn previous decisions. Although there were value judgments and legal decisions at the time, times have changed, standards have shifted, and everything is being overturned by today's standards."
Rep. Jo said, "It was not just that these were customary practices in the past, but there were actually many illegalities. About ten years ago, when I was on the 18th National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee, I was shocked to see the subsidy accounts of civic groups and raised issues," adding, "The mismanagement and corruption were truly unimaginable, but at that time, the government acknowledged and promised to fix it, so after raising the issue once or twice, I stopped pursuing it further."
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