Jin Joong-kwon: "Hong Joon-pyo, expelled from the party, seeks survival in far-right populism"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon strongly criticized independent lawmaker Hong Jun-pyo's bill, which was introduced on the 30th of last month, mandating the execution of death sentences within six months for those convicted of heinous crimes, saying, "This is why conservatives are failing."

On the same day, Jin posted on his Facebook, saying, "After being expelled from the party, it seems he is seeking survival through far-right populism."

He condemned, "This is crazy. It's going completely backward," adding, "It takes the country back to over 20 years ago. This is why they are called reactionaries."

He continued, "The timing is also terribly off. Right now, retrial cases due to wrongful convictions are becoming a major issue," explaining, "The Hwaseong 8th murder case, Yakchon Five-way intersection murder case, Samrye Nara Supermarket case, and Nakdong Riverside murder case all involved people without money or education who were wrongfully accused and served sentences."

He added, "In the case of the Samrye Nara Supermarket incident, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye was the jury judge. I understand he apologized to the victims for the wrongful conviction," and continued, "In the Hwaseong 8th case, at least Lee Chun-jae was still alive, so the wrongful accusation could be cleared. In the U.S., there have been many cases where people were exonerated after being sentenced to death."

Finally, he sarcastically said, "Now, let's say there was someone who was wrongfully accused of a heinous crime and executed. Lawmaker Hong Jun-pyo should propose a way to bring back those who died because of the law he made. For example, 'I am actually the Second Coming of Jesus.'"

Earlier that day, lawmaker Hong issued a press release on the 30th, introducing a bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Act that "requires the Minister of Justice to prioritize and mandate the execution of death sentences within six months for those convicted of heinous or crimes against humanity."

The priority execution targets proposed by Hong include those sentenced to death for crimes such as killing a family member, kidnapping or abduction resulting in murder or injury, rape of children or adolescents resulting in murder or injury, and hostage murder or injury.

The amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, introduced by Hong as the main proposer, reportedly includes 10 co-sponsors from the United Future Party, including Kang Min-guk, Park Dae-su, Park Sung-min, Bae Hyun-jin, Seo Il-jun, Yoon Young-seok, Yoon Han-hong, Ha Young-je, and Hong Seok-jun.