[The Editors' Verdict] The Difference Between Yoon Mihyang and Cho Kuk

Yoon Mi-hyang probably cannot understand why she must resign from her position as a member of the National Assembly. Activists affiliated with the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae), which is facing calls for dissolution, likely feel the same. Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk was also in that position.

After being out of the public eye for a while, Yoon has been systematically refuting the allegations raised against her as soon as she obtained her parliamentary status. Some of these may not be true, and some may have been illegal acts even if not intentional. Guilt or innocence will be determined through the prosecution’s investigation, and appropriate punishment will follow. Until then, the principle of presumption of innocence should apply. This is likely Yoon’s perspective. Former Minister Cho probably thought the same.

Although I have not heard directly what Yoon intends to do in the National Assembly, it is probably to systematize the comfort women movement through legislation. She reportedly felt great regret toward the Korean government and National Assembly, which have maintained a passive attitude despite her more than 30 years of dedication to this movement. Therefore, she decided to become a member of the National Assembly to accomplish that grand task. Former Minister Cho, who sought to become Minister of Justice to reform the prosecution, likely had a similar mindset.

I found it difficult to understand former Minister Cho. Even if he respected the president’s intention that he was the right person for prosecutorial reform, the social controversies that arose during the confirmation hearing and around his appointment became a significant burden for the administration. Despite facing all kinds of controversies head-on, he implemented several reform measures immediately after taking office as Minister of Justice and soon decided to resign. If he had insisted that he could not accept the allegations and that there was no reason to resign until guilt or innocence was determined, this administration would not have secured the momentum to push prosecutorial reform forward as swiftly as his successor is currently demonstrating.

Currently, civil society is demanding a new start for the comfort women movement. The transformation of civic organizations, as the last bastion that citizens can rely on and trust, appears to be a task of the times. It is fortunate that many questions that should have been asked earlier are now seeking answers. Did the students attending the Wednesday demonstrations donate funds for the grandmothers’ peaceful remaining years, or was it out of a desire to raise international awareness of wartime sexual violence? How should these two values be balanced, and which actors should realize each task? What is the appropriate role of organizations like Jeonguiyeondae in this process, and where does government responsibility end? Is the attempt to unite victims with different circumstances and demands under one voice appropriate for the greater good or not? Where do the unreasonable words and actions of activists belonging to civic groups, which sometimes seem to stem from superiority or a victim mentality beyond pride, originate? And how should we respond to this issue? Are Yoon and Jeonguiyeondae aware that, perhaps without realizing it themselves, they have become key players deciding a significant change in our society?

I find it difficult to understand Yoon and Jeonguiyeondae, who show no intention of resigning or dissolving. Just because they have devoted their lives to the comfort women movement, and because the process was lonely and arduous, does not mean that the right to define the direction of the comfort women movement is granted only to them. In the trajectory of the comfort women movement that will continue, where they will be positioned and what their historical role will be are not matters they can decide on their own.

Just as former Minister Cho was a symbol of prosecutorial reform, Yoon and Jeonguiyeondae were the flower and the entirety of the comfort women movement. The comfort women movement is now asking Yoon Mi-hyang and Jeonguiyeondae to make the painful decision to evolve to the next stage. The flower falling is not due to a mischievous wind but because the time to bear fruit has come. The beauty of the figure who knows when to leave and departs is also because they accept the pain of falling flowers (nak-hwa, 落花) as a natural course. At least, former Minister Cho was like that.

Chief of Social Affairs Shin Beom-su