Ryu Ho-jeong "Secondary victimization and doxxing... Hope you know you are not alone"
Jang Hye-young "Cannot mourn as if nothing happened"
Justice Party "Our stance is both mourning Park Won-soon and protecting the victims"
Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, is speaking at the Executive Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 13th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Some members of the Justice Party have announced that they will refuse to pay respects to the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, due to allegations of sexual harassment, leading party members to express their intention to leave the party.
Last year, during the 'Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk Incident,' the Justice Party was criticized as the 'Democratic Party's second squad' for effectively sharing the same views as the Democratic Party and defending Cho Kuk. Attention is now focused on whether the Justice Party can shed the label of 'Democratic Party's second squad' amid the controversy over paying respects to Mayor Park.
Justice Party lawmakers Ryu Ho-jeong and Jang Hye-young posted on their Facebook pages on the 10th and 11th, respectively, expressing their refusal to pay respects. Lawmaker Ryu said, "I read the condolence messages from those mourning the deceased," and added, "I reaffirm how excellently the deceased lived."
However, she conveyed a message to the victims of sexual harassment allegations: "You, who could not resist the hierarchy of a respected person and became the target of harassment, you who could only decide to file a complaint after receiving psychiatric counseling necessary for treatment and recovery, and you who must press your chest tightly to barely breathe amid the already beginning 'secondary harm' and 'personal information digging,' I want you to know that you are not alone."
Lawmaker Ryu expressed concern about the trauma of "those of you who will recall 'my experience'" from the shock of yesterday and today, emphasizing, "I hope our community can empathize with the pain of many of you. Additionally, I hope we can work together to create a safe environment to prevent secondary damage."
Lawmaker Jang also criticized, saying, "I cannot mourn as if nothing happened," and added, "No matter how large and meaningful the legacy left by the deceased in our society was, there are still things we need to know."
Immediately after these statements, comments opposing the 'refusal to pay respects' flooded the Facebook pages of the two lawmakers and the Justice Party members' bulletin board. Posts declaring intentions to leave the Justice Party also surged.
One netizen visited Lawmaker Ryu's Facebook and harshly criticized, "Okay, since it's your conviction, fine, but if you’re not going, just keep your mouth shut and stay quiet." They continued, "Have you ever thought about how much your words might hurt the bereaved? While it is true that the victim was hurt, this is not about weighing severity; paying respects is a moment to comfort the bereaved."
Another netizen commented, "A world where people like Ryu Ho-jeong discuss progressivism, women’s rights, human rights, and politics is truly despicable." As of 9 a.m. on the 13th, the post had 2,007 comments and was shared 591 times.
The Justice Party members' bulletin board was flooded with posts titled "Withdrawing 30 years of support for the Justice Party!," "Lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong has become a burden to the Justice Party," "No qualification as a public party," and "Leaving my first political party in life..." One member clearly stated that the refusal to pay respects was the cause of the current situation, saying, "Please uphold human decency first and then do politics."
The portrait of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, is arriving at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 13th, where the funeral ceremony is being held. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Some interpret the two lawmakers' actions as an attempt by the Justice Party to avoid ridicule as the 'Democratic Party's second squad' by taking positions similar to the Democratic Party on various contentious issues.
The Justice Party has effectively aligned with the Democratic Party on most policies and legislation, including participation in the '4+1 negotiation group' for the introduction of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office last year. However, criticism failed to be voiced during the 'Cho Kuk Incident,' intensifying internal and external accusations of being the 'Democratic Party's second squad.'
In fact, the Justice Party rejects the term 'pro-government camp' and draws a line from the Democratic Party. On the 3rd, Kim Jong-cheol, senior spokesperson for the Justice Party, sent a message to reporters requesting, "Please refer to the Justice Party as the progressive opposition party or the progressive party Justice Party, which is a more accurate category."
Spokesperson Kim emphasized the party's distinctiveness from the Democratic Party, saying, "The Justice Party also refused to participate in the ruling party's proportional satellite party in the last general election," and "Recently, it has criticized the government and ruling party on various issues such as real estate policy, the actions of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, and the hasty supplementary budget review."
On the same day, Justice Party lawmakers abstained from voting on the 3rd supplementary budget bill at the National Assembly plenary session led by the Democratic Party.
Before the vote, Floor Leader Bae Jin-kyo targeted the Democratic Party in a procedural speech, saying, "Not properly reviewing the 35 trillion won to meet the deadline set by the Blue House is an act that forgets the reason for the existence of the National Assembly," and questioned, "How can you support something you don't know the contents of, and how can you oppose a supplementary budget urgently needed for people's livelihoods?"
At the executive committee meeting held on the 7th, Floor Leader Bae also said, "The Democratic Party, which claims to empathize with the suffering of university students, passed the 3rd supplementary budget that includes project costs at a level that cannot be called tuition refund," and added, "It is shameful to the people."
On the morning of the 13th, when the funeral ceremony of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, was held, citizens gathered in front of Seoul City Hall. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In particular, regarding Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's remarks that seemed to mock Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the Justice Party issued a statement criticizing it as a typical "old-fashioned 'kkondae' style."
On the 26th of last month, the Justice Party said, "Expressing the serious issue of prosecutorial reform in such a low-level manner makes the problem appear as a power struggle between two people," and criticized, "If your instructions are legitimate, it is right to calmly explain in any space why the minister had to intervene directly and why the prosecution not following such instructions is problematic."
The Justice Party Innovation Committee also argued that the party must break away from the image of being the Democratic Party's second squad and follow its own path. At a public meeting held on the 26th of last month, Innovation Committee member Kang Min-jin said, "If we do not strongly criticize and correct the ruling party's mistakes of vacillating between vested interests and progressive positions, we cannot represent the people outside the National Assembly," emphasizing, "The Justice Party is not part of the pro-government camp; the Justice Party has its own path."
Innovation Committee member Lee Hyuk-jae pointed out, "We must thoroughly overcome the image of being the Democratic Party's second squad," and criticized, "Especially during the Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang incidents, the party's failure to take principled stances was a subject of criticism."
Amid fierce criticism inside and outside the party due to the Justice Party's internal turmoil caused by the refusal to pay respects to Mayor Park, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon, who left the Justice Party during the 'Cho Kuk Incident,' urged the party to show a differentiated stance from the Democratic Party.
In a post on his Facebook, former Professor Jin said, "No need to stop those leaving. Those who originally intended to go to the Democratic Party just happened to be in the Justice Party unintentionally," and urged, "At this opportunity, the Justice Party should clearly define its color as a progressive party and accept new progressive-leaning members."
Meanwhile, regarding the growing criticism inside and outside the party over the controversy surrounding paying respects to Mayor Park, the Justice Party stated, "We will take both measures: paying respects to Mayor Park and protecting the victim who came forward; this is the official position."
Kim Jong-cheol, senior spokesperson for the Justice Party, explained in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the same day, "There was much discussion within the party after Mayor Park passed away. There are two coexistences: the situation where there is a victim who came forward and the fact that the deceased left a very important legacy in Korean society."
Regarding some Justice Party members leaving the party, he said, "There are people leaving. It is happening, but from our perspective, it is not a large number," and added, "On the other hand, there are also people expressing gratitude, so for us, it is a process of pain, orderly discussion, and aligning perceptions with each other."
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