[Summary] "Moon Administration as Dictatorship" vs. "Nothing Special"... Yoon Seok-yeol's Remarks Spark Ruling and Opposition Parties' Debate

Yoon Suk-yeol's "Rejection of Dictatorship and Totalitarianism" Remarks Spark Daily Debate Between Ruling and Opposition Parties
Ruling Party Leadership Also Demands Resignation... Seol Hoon Says "It's Time to Step Down"
United Future Party Calls It "Obvious, Textbook-Level Statements"

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] The ruling and opposition political circles have been engaged in daily debates over Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks that "we must reject dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy." While the Democratic Party of Korea has targeted Prosecutor General Yoon with calls for his public resignation, the United Future Party has responded by saying it is just "common sense."

Earlier, on the 3rd, at the new officers' reporting ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "Laws are enacted based on the principles of representative democracy and majority rule, but once enacted, laws must be applied and enforced equally to everyone." He added, "The core value of the constitution, liberal democracy, does not ignore equality and emphasize only freedom. It is true democracy that rejects dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy."

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

In response, the pro-government camp claimed that the remarks were aimed at the Democratic Party and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Some within the ruling party even called 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, wrote on his Facebook on the 4th, "This is a public declaration that the United Future Party's prosecution is a political prosecution," and argued, "If you want to engage in politics, you must take off the prosecutor's uniform. Therefore, the Democratic Party should impeach Prosecutor General Yoon, and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae should discipline him."

Calls for Yoon's resignation also erupted from the Democratic Party leadership. On the 5th, at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Democratic Party Supreme Council member Seol Hoon criticized Yoon's remarks, saying, "They can be interpreted as claims that the Moon Jae-in government is 'dictatorship and totalitarianism,'" and added, "This is a cunning claim that only omits the subject 'Moon Jae-in government.'"

He continued, "Now Prosecutor General Yoon must step down," and said, "What is different about calling the Moon Jae-in government dictatorship and totalitarianism while still holding the position of Prosecutor General? Isn't that joining the ranks of dictatorship and totalitarianism?"

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul on the 5th. On the left is Supreme Council member Seol Hoon. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the United Future Party criticized the Democratic Party for overreacting, saying Yoon's remarks were merely "common sense." United Future Party Deputy Spokesperson Yoon Hee-seok said in a statement that day, "There is nothing special in Prosecutor General Yoon's remarks. He talked about true democracy that rejects dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy, and said that liberal democracy is realized through the rule of law," adding, "This is a textbook, obvious story and common sense."

He continued, "However, the pro-government camp's reaction is that it is a declaration of an anti-government struggle beyond opposition to prosecution reform, claiming that it ignores the voices of the people demanding prosecution reform," and questioned, "Is this statement really ignoring the people's voices and a declaration of anti-government struggle?"

United Future Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a press conference that day, saying, "From Prosecutor General Yoon's perspective, there may be a sense of crisis that he cannot perform the prosecution's original duties, such as investigating the living power under the shadow of politics," and criticized, "It is too childish for the ruling party to simply dismiss the use of expressions like 'dictatorship' and 'totalitarianism' as 'the Prosecutor General engaging in politics.'"

Some speculate that Yoon, who is leading the opposition presidential candidate support rates in various opinion polls, might run as the conservative camp's presidential candidate.

Kim Jong-in, the United Future Party's emergency committee chairman, said in an interview with 'JoongAng Ilbo' on the 4th that the possibility of meeting with Prosecutor General Yoon "depends on Yoon's own will." However, when asked if he could designate Yoon as the party's presidential candidate, he dismissed the idea, saying, "It is disrespectful to talk about such things to someone who is still in the position of Prosecutor General."

Meanwhile, in a preference survey for the next presidential candidate, Yoon's preference rose by 3.7 percentage points from the previous month to 13.8%, narrowing the gap with Lee Nak-yeon, a Democratic Party lawmaker who is leading with 25.6%, to 11.8%.

This result comes from a preference survey for the next presidential candidate conducted by Realmeter on behalf of 'OhmyNews' from the 27th to the 31st of last month, targeting 2,560 adult voters nationwide. Lee Nak-yeon was recorded at 25.6%, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung at 19.6%.