Ryu Ho-jeong and Jang Hye-young Refuse to Pay Respects to Late Former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon
Party Members Campaign Against Leaving with '#WillNotLeaveParty', '#CheerUpJusticeParty'
Justice Party States "Official Position Is to Take Both Measures"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] After some members of the Justice Party announced that they would not pay respects to the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul, some party members have continued to resign in protest. Amid this, party members opposing the 'wave of resignations' are expressing their support by refusing to leave the party.
On the 13th, Justice Party members posted on their social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter with hashtags like '#I_will_not_resign', '#Now_is_the_time_to_support_the_Justice_Party', '#Cheer_up_Justice_Party', and '#Supporting_Assemblymembers_Ryu_Ho-jeong_and_Jang_Hye-young'.
A Justice Party member who initiated the hashtag campaign said, "People who are lenient toward the misdeeds of Democratic Party members but wield a knife against Justice Party members who speak out properly are saying they will resign. Let's show that there are more people who want to protect the party."
Party members have been leaving messages of support and encouragement for Assemblymembers Ryu Ho-jeong and Jang Hye-young, as well as donating to them, continuing the refusal-to-resign movement. As this movement spreads, new party memberships have reportedly become more active. Some citizens have also stated through social media that they joined the party to support the Justice Party members after hearing about their resignations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a Justice Party official said, "We understand that some party members are also promoting campaigns such as 'paying more party dues,'" adding, "Although some members have resigned, the number of new members, mainly women in their 20s and 30s, is increasing."
Earlier, on the 10th, Assemblymember Ryu posted on her Facebook, stating, "I do not intend to pay respects," and comforted the victim who accused the late mayor Park of sexual harassment.
Assemblymember Jang also posted on her Facebook that day, saying, "I cannot mourn as if nothing happened," and urged, "What must be unprecedentedly done is not the mayor of Seoul but a thorough investigation and prevention measures against hierarchical sexual violence committed by high-ranking officials."
In response, Kim Jong-chul, senior spokesperson for the Justice Party, explained, "At the party level, the official position is to take both actions: paying respects and protecting the victim."
On MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Kim said, "There was a lot of discussion within the party," adding, "There was a conflict between the fact that there is a victim and the fact that the deceased left a very significant legacy in Korean society."
He continued, "From the victim's perspective, Park's death, which was not what she wanted, could have caused her to be in a more serious mental state. By publicly expressing on Facebook or elsewhere, 'I am sorry but it is difficult for me to pay respects,' she showed solidarity with the victim."
Regarding some members' resignations, he said, "There are people resigning, but not many," and added, "On the other hand, there are also people expressing gratitude, so for us, this is a process of pain, orderly discussion, and aligning perceptions."
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