Will Presidential Candidate Yoon Seok-yeol Run?... Kim Jong-in Says "Depends on Prosecutor General Yoon's Decision"

Kim Jong-in Mentions Yoon Seok-yeol's Presidential Candidate Possibility
Mixed Political Interpretations of Prosecutor General Yoon's Remarks at New Prosecutors' Commissioning Ceremony
Next Presidential Contender Yoon Seok-yeol Rises 13.8%

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, stated that the possibility of a meeting with Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General who shows the highest support among conservative presidential candidates, "depends on Prosecutor General Yoon's intention."

In an interview with JoongAng Ilbo on the previous day (the 4th), Chairman Kim responded to the question, "Does this mean you can meet him as a presidential candidate once he steps down as Prosecutor General?" with this answer.

Regarding the recent controversial remarks made by Prosecutor General Yoon at the new prosecutors' commissioning ceremony, he said, "Since the Democratic Party only says things against democracy, Prosecutor General Yoon inevitably has doubts about the rule of law," adding, "He was succinctly referring to various recent situations."

He also criticized, "I see the Democratic Party counterattacking because Prosecutor General Yoon is investigating the Moon administration," and "It is really difficult to understand the goals of the prosecution reform pursued by the Moon administration."

At the commissioning ceremony on the 3rd, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "True democracy rejects dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy," and "The law must be applied and enforced equally to everyone. Especially, corruption and power-related crimes must not be ignored but confronted boldly."

He also stated, "Among the tasks of a prosecutor, the most important is persuasion," and "We must persuade the investigation subjects and the public to gain empathy and universal legitimacy."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is speaking at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd. On this day, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "We must not ignore corruption and power-related misconduct, but face them boldly."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding this, opinions are divided in the political circles as to whether these remarks were aimed at the Democratic Party of Korea and Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. The ruling party even showed strong reactions calling for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon.

Choi Bae-geun, a professor at Konkuk University and former co-representative of the Democratic Party's proportional representation party, the Together Citizens' Party, urged on his Facebook on the 4th, "This is a public declaration that the prosecution under the United Future Party is a political prosecution," and "If you want to engage in politics, you must take off the prosecutor's uniform, so the Democratic Party should impeach Prosecutor General Yoon, and Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae should discipline him."

Yoo Ki-hong, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chairman of the National Assembly's Education Committee, criticized on his Facebook, "Prosecutor General Yoon demanded the resignation of Minister Cho Kuk before the full-scale investigation even began," and "Dictatorship and totalitarianism are his self-portrait trying to abuse prosecutorial power to intervene in politics and lead collective disobedience within the prosecution."

Especially, Shin Dong-geun, a lawmaker running for the Supreme Council, wrote on Facebook, "This is a de facto anti-government struggle declaration beyond opposition to prosecution reform," and "It can only be interpreted as an extreme remark targeting the Moon Jae-in administration."

On the other hand, the opposition party is actively welcoming Prosecutor General Yoon's remarks. Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the United Future Party, issued a verbal comment that day, interpreting it as "a will to create a prosecution for the people, not a lapdog of the regime," and said, "For Prosecutor General Yoon's will to be sincere, investigations into the living powers such as Cho Kuk, Song Cheol-ho, Yoon Mi-hyang, Lime, and Optimus, which had been silenced, must be revived and awakened. We welcome the return of Yoon Seok-yeol, the swordsman who is loyal to no one."

United Future Party lawmaker Jo Soo-jin also posted an article containing Prosecutor General Yoon's remarks on her Facebook and stated, "The dictatorship is 'group bullying' to bring down the Prosecutor General who does not obey and the Board of Audit and Inspection chief. 'Mutant dictatorship' is more evil than 'just dictatorship,'" adding, "'Moonjuism' must be clearly distinguished from 'democracy.'"

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province, wrote on his Facebook, "The message Prosecutor General Yoon delivered to the new prosecutors is weighty," and "I fully agree. President Moon Jae-in, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, and Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon must understand that democracy is the rule of law. It is not 'rule by law.' That is the exclusive trademark of dictators and totalitarians."

He continued, "There is a saying that to evaluate a person, you should look at the enemies he fights against. By looking at the people Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is fighting against, you can tell who is a constitutionalist, a democrat, and a supporter of the rule of law."

Meanwhile, in the next presidential candidate preference survey, Prosecutor General Yoon's preference rose by 3.7 percentage points from the previous month to 13.8%. The gap in preference between Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Nak-yeon and Prosecutor General Yoon narrowed to 11.8%.

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter commissioned by OhmyNews from June 27 to 31, targeting 2,560 adults nationwide, Lee Nak-yeon was recorded at 25.6%, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung at 19.6%.

Prosecutor General Yoon's preference, included in the survey from June, rose by 3.7 percentage points to 13.8% in the July survey compared to the previous month.