[Comprehensive] Jin Joong-kwon "Surprised by Moon Jae-in Three Times" Shin Dong-geun "Purely Resentment Towards Cho Kuk"

Jin Joong-kwon "Thankful to Sewol Ferry Children... Shocked" Reveals 3 Reasons Criticizing Moon
Shin Dong-geun "Former Prof. Jin Filled with Hostility and Burning Resentment Toward Cho Kuk"
Lee Won-wook References Wizard of Oz 'How Can You Speak Without a Brain' Rebuke

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon is giving a lecture on June 10th in the morning at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, during the first session of the On-Gukmin Study Room titled "What is Justice in Our Time?" [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon cited three remarks as the reasons he began criticizing President Moon Jae-in on the 8th: 'text bomb is seasoning,' 'thank you, Sewol ferry,' and 'a debt of gratitude to Cho Kuk.'

This was in response to a previous question from Shin Dong-geun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who asked, "Last year, you said the problem was not President Moon but his surroundings. Why have you changed your stance now?" Jin's reply was countered by Shin, who claimed the criticism stemmed from hostility toward former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Lee Won-wook, also a Democratic Party member, strongly criticized Jin's remarks.

In a post on his Facebook that day, Jin stated, "There were three times I was greatly shocked by President Moon." The first was the so-called 'seasoning' remark. Jin said, "During the presidential candidate debate, when he justified the violent behavior of fervent supporters as 'seasoning that enriches democracy,' I thought something was off about him."

Previously, after being confirmed as the party's presidential candidate in 2017, President Moon responded in an interview with MBN to criticism that his supporters had organized to post defamatory comments against rival candidates by saying, "I think it is like seasoning that makes our competition more interesting."

Jin cited the second reason for criticizing President Moon as the 'thank you, Sewol ferry' remark.

Jin said, "When I saw President Moon write 'sorry, thank you' to the children in the Sewol ferry guestbook, I understood the meaning of 'sorry,' but I could not find a rational way to interpret the meaning of 'thank you.'"

Earlier, in 2017, President Moon visited the Sewol ferry victims' memorial altar at Jindo Paengmok Port and wrote in the guestbook, "Kids, you were the starlight of the Candlelight Square. Your souls became 10 million candles. Sorry, thank you. 2017. 4. 10. Moon Jae-in."

President Moon Jae-in is taking a commemorative photo after presenting the appointment letter to then-new Minister of Justice Cho Kuk at the Blue House on the afternoon of September 9 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The third was the remark about 'a debt of gratitude to Cho Kuk.' Jin said, "When President Moon said at the New Year's press conference earlier this year that he 'owes a debt of gratitude to former Minister Cho Kuk,' everything became clear the moment I heard it," adding, "I concluded then that it was not just a problem with his surroundings but the president's own problem."

At the time, President Moon said about former Minister Cho, "The hardships he has endured so far alone make me feel a great debt of gratitude." Jin criticized this by saying, "The hardships Cho endured are the natural consequences for those who break the law," and "The attitude shown by President Moon was absolutely not that of the head of a republic."

Jin continued, "He spoke as a friend of a hypocrite who failed to manage himself, representing the interests of the faction (PK pro-Moon faction) that friend belonged to," and "This made me fundamentally question whether President Moon's ethical awareness and judgment are suitable for public office."

He added, "He said he would create a world without unfairness and privilege, but they are trying to institutionalize the unfairness and privileges they enjoy," and "Cho's hypocrisy is not just his personal hypocrisy but the hypocrisy of the regime, the Democratic Party, and the president. That's why they risked their lives to protect him," he claimed.

President Moon Jae-in [Photo by Yonhap News]

In response, Shin Dong-geun, a Democratic Party member, criticized Jin on the afternoon of the 9th through a post titled 'Passion for Jin Joong-kwon' on his Facebook.

He said, "I did not expect it, but I received a public reply from Jin. I posted on July 30, and seeing that he replied on August 8, I guess he thought about it a bit."

Shin said, "Jin gave three reasons for changing his stance on the president this year. To me, there is only one reason, but I think he uses the first two as seasoning so he doesn't seem petty," asserting that the reason is former Minister Cho Kuk.

Shin said, "Jin is consumed solely by ill feelings and burning hostility toward his friend Kuk," and "Since he confirmed that the president has affectionate feelings toward Kuk, he has become an object of hostility in the same way. This is the alpha and omega."

He added, "His judgment on worldly matters is becoming simpler. Is Kuk good or bad? It's really easy," and criticized, "Therefore, Jin does not see the prosecutors' vested interests who, while tired of and ignoring the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and prosecution reform, fiercely oppose it with a terrifying prosecution-first attitude, or, more narrowly, a family-first attitude."

He continued, "Therefore, Jin does not see the behavior of that heinous reporter who, obsessed with breaking the Moon Jae-in government, resorts to illegal threats and coercion for exclusives, nor does he see the shocking remarks of Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, who makes encouraging comments," reiterating his criticism.

Shin expressed concern that Jin might ideologically shift from progressive to radical conservative. He said, "Kim Moon-soo and Cha Myung-jin, both former lawmakers, were prominent labor activists and progressives 30 years ago. Now, they wave the Taegeukgi flag in the streets," adding, "You never know a person's life." He then warned Jin, "Once you derail, where you end up may be unimaginable now. Keep that in mind."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, Shin criticized Jin, saying, "Until the end of last year, Jin supported President Moon but said the problem was his surroundings. Recently, he says President Moon has no philosophy and even calls his regime a gangster regime," and "Today, he publicly admitted he did not vote for Moon in the last presidential election and mocks those who did to confess."

Shin Dong-geun, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Photo by Yonhap News

He added, "His attitude toward President Moon has changed drastically in just a few months," and criticized, "What was Jin's philosophy then, and what is it now? Sometimes, he shamelessly denies the past as if nothing happened and spits with a straight face. That mentality, that rootless ego, is both astonishing and unpleasant."

Meanwhile, Lee Won-wook, also a Democratic Party member, pointed out on his Facebook on the 9th, "Jin wrote about when he was shocked by President Moon. Seeing him reveal the reasons he came to dislike the president, I thought he must really dislike him."

He said, "What he revealed was that his colors are like a rainbow of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet," and "Seeing Jin's color theory reminds me of the famous song 'Over the Rainbow' from the movie The Wizard of Oz. Instead of revealing in detail why he dislikes a particular person, how about talking again about the hope that the rainbow colors represent?"

He added, "Suddenly, the Scarecrow's sharp remark from The Wizard of Oz comes to mind," and "Dorothy asked the Scarecrow, 'How can you talk without a brain?' The Scarecrow replied, 'Don't humans babble without thinking?' I think those who recall Jin's past clarity are lamenting and feeling sorry for him," he criticized.