Jin Joong-kwon: "Moon is Jeongjo? Closer to Seonjo... Exceptional Talent for 'Blaming Others'"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon referred to an interview by former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, who compared President Moon Jae-in to King Jeongjo, saying, "Joseon's history is a rotten history, and only Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in are pure," adding, "President Moon has suddenly become the reincarnated Jeongjo."

On the 20th, Professor Jin shared on Facebook a column he contributed to Maeil Newspaper titled "Is the President the Reincarnated Jeongjo?" and made these remarks.

Professor Jin wrote, "23 years ago, Lee In-hwa, author of 'The Eternal Empire,' transformed Park Chung-hee into the reincarnated Jeongjo, portraying him as a modern reform monarch who saved the rotten country since the Joseon Dynasty," adding, "Thanks to nostalgia for Park Chung-hee, Park Geun-hye became president, and as a result, conservatism collapsed. He himself was imprisoned."

He continued, "Now, the Democratic Party side is doing the exact same thing. They say Joseon's history is rotten, and only Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in are pure," criticizing Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's remarks by saying, "A novelist and a politician are doing the same thing. 'Writing fiction,' indeed."

Professor Jin pointed out, "Looking back, the Democratic Party side used to call Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye 'Seonjo' (a Joseon king)," adding, "Now it's time for them to hear the words they once used."

In the shared column, Professor Jin also criticized former leader Lee's media interview, saying, "I burst out laughing."

He said, "A grand scale going back 200 years to explain the current political situation. Compared to that absurdity, the nonsense that 'this is all because the pro-Japanese collaborators were not purged' sounds rather reasonable," adding, "Since the party has been driven by such absurd historical fantasies, it is natural that the Democratic Party has become strange."

In an earlier interview with a media outlet, former leader Lee claimed, "Looking at the terrain of our history, since King Jeongjo died in 1800, reform forces have never been in power for 220 years. Except for the 10 years of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, the rest of the 210 years were ruled by reactionary conservatives," and argued, "As a result, our economy and society have experienced very unbalanced growth."

In response, Professor Jin said, "In Lee Hae-chan's reckless fantasy, President Moon appears as the reincarnated reform monarch King Jeongjo after 210 years. A naive delusion," and added, "If we were to find a Joseon king who resembles President Moon, it would be Seonjo rather than Jeongjo. Wasn't he the one who excelled at blaming others for his own incompetence?"