President Moon, Government, National Assembly, Prosecutorial Reform, Progressives, Conservatives Criticized Across Spectrum
Prof. Jin's SNS Posts Cited 2,093 Times from Jan to Jun, Ranked 18th Among Investigated
Presidential Candidate Lee Nak-yeon of Democratic Party 20th, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae 23rd
"Analyzing Korean Political and Social Issues from a Humanities Perspective" Active in Various Media Columns
Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon (left) President Moon Jae-in (right). Photo by Asia Economy DB
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Public office is short, but housing prices are long. Time is approaching, sales are difficult, and judgment is not hard."
This is a post that former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon uploaded on his Facebook on the same day when all five senior secretaries of the Presidential Secretariat, including Chief of Staff to President Moon Jae-in, Noh Young-min, collectively tendered their resignations to President Moon on the morning of the 7th. The post received 'likes' from nearly 2,000 SNS users, indicating agreement with the content.
He is sometimes described as a kind of 'canary in the coal mine' or 'submarine rabbit.' This refers to a situation where, when a crisis occurs, birds or rabbits show abnormal signs, allowing people who see them to evacuate quickly.
There is an opinion that Jin's critical posts toward the political world every day serve as a kind of emergency signal.
Jin began actively voicing his opinions on politics through his Facebook on January 15 of this year. On that day, he explained the reason for resuming his role as a commentator: "I never thought I would do commentary again, and I never imagined that the target of my criticism would be the Moon Jae-in administration."
He added, "I was a mummy commentator who voluntarily wrapped myself in bandages and went into the grave, but the fervent Moon supporters called me back with a curse. So, I’m back. Is that okay?" At that time, about 1,500 Facebook users liked the post. There were dozens of comments, mostly supporting his return as a commentator.
Since then, Jin has poured criticism on current social issues and controversies involving President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, the Democratic Party of Korea, the United Future Party, the Ministry of Justice, and the prosecution.
◆ "Holding such a large rally in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis shows they only have political-religious fanaticism in their heads"
Especially amid the recent resurgence of COVID-19 centered around Seoul and the metropolitan area, on the 15th, Jin said, "It is important for the United Future Party to distance itself from the Gwanghwamun rally. People who are caught up in religious-political fanaticism exist in every country and every camp. It is important to marginalize them. Even when hundreds of thousands gathered at Gwanghwamun during the Cho Kuk incident, it was insignificant because that rally had no scalability."
He continued, "No matter how critical you are of the administration, you would feel you cannot support the Taegeukgi rallies. Holding such a large rally in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis shows that they only have political-religious fanaticism in their heads, with no consideration for fellow citizens or willingness to live together. In the past, that was the typical conservative image. That’s how the conservative party became a hated and avoided party. Next week, the president and the Democratic Party’s approval ratings will rise," he pointed out.
◆ "The problem is that to reform, a 'subject' is needed, but there is no such subject" ? Criticism of the Democratic Party’s declining approval ratings
Regarding the recent decline in the Democratic Party’s approval ratings, Jin criticized Lee Nak-yeon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, who on the 13th mentioned that the party’s approval rating was being overtaken by the United Future Party and said "the party needs to reform its spirit," saying, "The problem is that to reform, a 'subject' is needed, but there is no such subject." He added, "The party’s hegemony is held by the pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) faction, and below them, the henchmen run wild."
He further evaluated, "The only ones who can do that are the 'next generation,' but that’s also a problem. To become the 'next generation,' you need party support, but since the party is already completely controlled by the pro-Moon faction, the 'next generation' cannot dare to put a brake on pro-Moon’s solo run."
◆ "Sewol ferry guestbook... How should we understand the word 'thank you'?" Three reasons for disappointment with President Moon
Earlier, on the 8th, Jin listed three reasons for his disappointment with President Moon. The first was, "When he justified the violent behavior of his ardent supporters during the presidential candidate debates as 'spices that enrich democracy,' I thought something was strange about him. But at that time, the supporters’ misbehavior had just begun, so I let it pass."
The second example was the Sewol ferry guestbook incident. Jin said, "When I saw the words 'sorry' and 'thank you' written to the children in the Sewol ferry guestbook, I understood the meaning of 'sorry,' but how should I understand the word 'thank you'?" He explained, "I still have not found a rational way to interpret that word."
He added, "The third was when, at the president’s New Year press conference earlier this year, he said he 'owed a debt of gratitude to former Minister Cho Kuk.' The moment I heard that, everything became clear. I concluded then that this was not just a peripheral issue but the president’s own problem."
Jin argued, "Can we say that everything happening right before our eyes has nothing to do with the president? If so, the president is nothing but a scarecrow. Of course, all this may be the mischief of close aides, but it is also reasonable to see it as the president’s will."
He also criticized again, saying, "He said he would create a world without unfairness and privilege, but they are trying to institutionalize the unfairness and privilege they enjoy. Cho Kuk’s hypocrisy is not personal hypocrisy but the hypocrisy of the administration, the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party, and the hypocrisy of the president, which is why they risked their lives to protect him."
On the morning of May 15th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, the discussion forum titled "Talking about the 21st General Election! Lost Conservative Politics, What is the Solution?" was held, attended by Yoo Ui-dong and Oh Shin-hwan of the United Future Party, and former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]
◆ Jin’s posts described as 'canary in the coal mine' and 'submarine rabbit'
Jin, who criticizes the current administration and both progressive and conservative camps daily, has also revealed the difficulties of his commentator activities. On January 27, he said, "It’s a bit tiring. I have a lot to say and a lot I must say. Moreover, those with mouths are overwhelmed by the atmosphere and either shut their mouths completely or even turn into zombies and bite from the other side. Covering such a wide area alone honestly drains my energy. Every time, I learn from their diligence and persistence."
Some regard Jin as a 'canary in the coal mine.' The canary in the coal mine is a metaphor for an emergency signal.
In 19th-century Europe, miners took canaries in cages into coal mines. Canaries are highly sensitive to harmful gases like methane or carbon monoxide; if they stopped singing or showed sluggish movements, miners could immediately evacuate the tunnels.
Also, until World War II, submarines always carried rabbits. Rabbits are much more sensitive than humans to changes in oxygen concentration in the air. When the air quality inside the confined submarine deteriorated, the rabbits reacted first, and the crew would quickly surface the submarine for ventilation.
Both canaries and rabbits serve as emergency warning signals. There is a view that Jin’s harsh words, free from partisan bias, have a similar effect.
On the morning of May 15th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, the discussion forum titled "Talking about the 21st General Election! Lost Conservative Politics, What is the Solution?" was held, attended by Yoo Ui-dong and Oh Shin-hwan of the United Future Party, and former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]
◆ 2,093 citations from January to June... Active contributions across progressive and conservative media
In fact, Jin’s posts are covered by many media outlets. According to a survey by the Journalists Association using the Korea Press Foundation’s news big data analysis system 'BigKinds' to see which figures the media focused on this year, Jin ranked 18th.
Jin’s posts were cited 2,093 times in the first half of this year, more than Lee Nak-yeon, a Democratic Party lawmaker classified as a presidential contender (20th, 1,876 citations), or Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice (23rd, 1,340 citations).
The survey method randomly selected three days each month from January to June, extracted the top 100 most mentioned names each day, and compiled a list of 897 unique individuals after removing duplicates from a total of 1,800 (6 months × 3 days × 100 names). Then, the number of articles citing these individuals was counted for the first half of the year.
Currently, Jin actively contributes across both progressive and conservative media. He writes 'Jin Joong-kwon’s Truth Odyssey' for Hankook Ilbo, 'Jin Joong-kwon’s Straightball' for Kyunghyang Shinmun, 'Jin Joong-kwon’s Direct Talk' for Weekly Dong-A, and recently plans to share his philosophy through JoongAng Ilbo as well.
On the 11th, through JoongAng Ilbo, Jin said, "I will analyze Korea’s political and social issues from a humanities perspective," and "As I have recently expressed through Facebook and media contributions, I will write broadly opinionated articles. You can see this as an expansion of my recent activities."
In his last column for Hankook Ilbo, he criticized the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, saying, "His downfall feels to me not like the death of one person but the death of the entire progressive camp," and "His hypocrisy is our generation’s hypocrisy, and his foolishness is our generation’s foolishness."
Meanwhile, when asked if these activities are a kind of political activity, Jin dismissed it on January 14 via Facebook, saying, "If I appear in newspapers or broadcasts in the future, please consider it economic activity, not political activity."
◆ "My struggling means something negative in our society"
Regarding his commentator activities, he told a media outlet, "Many people, probably those on the other side (progressives), might wonder why I struggle like this, why I struggle without reason. My struggling is a warning that something in our society is not positive but negative."
Referring to the 'submarine rabbit,' he said, "People don’t feel oxygen deficiency well, but rabbits feel it quickly and struggle to signal 'Ah, this is a dangerous state.' Warning of danger is the role of the rabbit, and I am playing that role as a critic."
About many people reading his posts, he explained, "I don’t think I’m a great person. Many people feel dissatisfaction or that something is wrong, and that frustration is being expressed through me."
Regarding support from the conservative camp, he said, "I’m not particularly happy or anything because I know their cheers can easily turn into criticism someday."
Jin emphasized that he will continue his activities like the phrase from 'The Irish pilot who predicted his own death': "I do not love those I fight for, nor do I hate those I fight against."
Especially about some suggestions that he run for a 'lawmaker' position, he dismissed them on his Facebook, saying, "I can’t do that. It’s not my aptitude. A commentator must find differences even among things that look the same and make people pay attention to those subtle differences. I specialize in that. On the other hand, politics requires the ability to find common ground and agreement among groups with different values and interests. It’s different. Knowing that, they don’t call someone like me."
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