"Leave the Democratic Party", "Go People Power Party", "You are a traitor"
Park Yong-jin faces flood of SNS insults right after apologizing over Minister Chu's son allegations
Earlier, same party's Jo Eung-cheon and former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop also fiercely criticized 'Chinmun' and 'Munppa' supporters
On the morning of the 15th, Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asserted at the National Assembly Communication Office that "Samsung Securities was extensively involved in the merger process between Samsung C&T Corporation and Cheil Industries, and financial authorities should launch an investigation." [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] On the 16th, Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, apologized for the special treatment allegations regarding the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son, Seo, saying, "I feel sorry for the frustration felt by ordinary young men who have served in the military." However, pro-Moon (친문) supporters and Moonba (a term mocking those who blindly support President Moon Jae-in) have been visiting Park's Facebook page to express harsh protests.
Given the situation, some view it as if Park has been targeted by pro-Moon and Moonba groups. They have been pouring out intense criticism such as "This is internal betrayal," "You always stand out alone and benefit from the Democratic Party," and "Go to the People Power Party." Previously, former Democratic Party members Cho Eung-chun and Geum Tae-seop also mentioned "fairness" regarding the allegations about Minister Choo's son and criticized the disclosure of the military duty soldier's real name, only to face collective criticism alongside Park.
On the afternoon of the same day, a post titled "Final public report on Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Group's secret bank accounts, which I have persistently raised since the 20th National Assembly term" was uploaded on Park's Facebook. However, the comments under the post were filled with criticisms of Park unrelated to the content.
One netizen criticized, "Mr. Park Yong-jin, this is absurd. Have you served in the military? Why is Minister Choo apologizing? Don't you realize that your lack of discernment is a crime against your constituency citizens? Aren't you afraid? You should resign and go to the People Power Party."
Earlier, in a CBS radio interview, Park said regarding the special treatment allegations during Minister Choo's son's military service, "Education and military service are matters of national interest and a sensitive issue for the people." He added, "(The party) keeps looking at this only as 'illegal or not,' but as a fellow lawmaker and someone who has served in the military, I feel sorry to the public for the suspicion itself."
Park continued, "I think cases of extending leave by phone are not common," and "Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also expressed embarrassment over such controversies involving a cabinet member."
However, Park said, "If the People Power Party wants to talk about illegal controversies, they should present clear evidence or circumstances. It was frustrating to see them only talk about Minister Choo throughout the government questioning without evidence," and "If there is an unfair case (confirmed), it would be good to talk about urging institutional improvement."
Strong criticism from 'pro-Moon' supporters continues against Park Yong-jin, a Democratic Party lawmaker, who apologized for the allegations involving Choo Mi-ae, the Minister of Justice's son. Photo by Park Yong-jin, Democratic Party lawmaker, Facebook capture.
However, immediately after Park's remarks, pro-Moon and Moonba supporters protested fiercely. One supporter strongly criticized, "Mr. Park Yong-jin, this is outrageous. Sorry for the frustration of the youth, the national sensitive issue? Words are just words? How can a parent with children politically exploit such matters? I cannot forgive this. What you do is worse than what the opposition does. It is shameful that someone like you is in the Democratic Party."
Another netizen pointed out, "Mr. Park Yong-jin, did you apologize for the youth's frustration over Minister Choo's son's issue? Just do well with Samsung or the Kindergarten 3 Act. What do you know to apologize and call it conviction? If you wanted to be a lawmaker, you should be grateful for joining the Democratic Party. Stop acting out."
Criticism urging him to leave the Democratic Party and join the People Power Party continued. One pro-Moon supporter urged, "Just change your party to the People Power Party. Democratic citizens are struggling," urging him to leave the party.
Another netizen said, "There are forces expecting such words from your mouth. If you want to do that, get out, Lee ○○! I know you want to tease Joo ○, but sometimes you should stay quiet! If I find even a speck on you, I will hold on to it until the end," and "What are you trying to do, Yong-jin? What exactly is your identity? Are you with the People Power Party?" pouring out harsh criticism.
Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the Democratic Party of Korea (front) and Kim Sang-jo, Chief of Policy Office at the Blue House, are entering the conference room to attend a party-government meeting on real estate held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, in the afternoon of July 7. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Park is not the first to face collective criticism from pro-Moon and Moonba groups for making so-called political conviction remarks regarding the allegations about Minister Choo's son.
Earlier, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-chun said regarding the allegations, "It has passed the stage of just letting it go," and like Park, calls for switching to the People Power Party have continued.
In an interview with Shindonga on the 14th, Cho said, "The issue started with whether the leave was properly processed or not, but now suspicions about interpreter soldiers and requests for unit assignments are all coming out," and emphasized, "Various testimonies and evidence are coming out, so the right answer is to reveal everything as it is and quickly reach a conclusion."
He added, "Even just being KATUSA (Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) can be viewed unfavorably by the public, but saying 'I enjoyed the sweet life there' becomes a fairness issue for men in their 20s and 30s who recently served in the military," and criticized, "Although it is not a big enough issue to warrant a special prosecutor, Minister Choo's provocative responses like 'You're writing fiction' at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee or plenary session early on made things worse." He also pointed out, "I think this is a bill coming due for what Minister Choo has said so far."
Following Park and Cho, former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop was also embroiled in criticism for remarks related to the allegations about Minister Choo's son. Geum criticized Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Hee, who first raised the special treatment allegations about Minister Choo's son Seo Mo, calling the military duty soldier a "lone offender," saying, "Are you sane?" and has been urged to "go to the People Power Party."
Meanwhile, public opinion on Minister Choo's resignation is evenly divided within the margin of error.
According to a survey conducted by Realmeter commissioned by
By age group, support for resignation was higher among those in their 60s (67.3%) and 20s (56.8%), while opposition was stronger in the 40s (65.5%). By gender, resignation support was higher among men (53.9%), while women showed nearly equal responses for and against.
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