"Quit the Democratic Party at the Drop of a Hat" Lawmakers Manipulate Conscience... 'Moonppa Fascism' Controversy [Seunggon Han's Political Notebook]

Democratic Party Rep. Park Yong-jin Faces Backlash After Saying 'Let's Weigh Pros and Cons of Rhee Syngman and Park Chung-hee'
SNS Coordinates Marked, Pro-Moon and Moonbba Factions Launch Collective Criticism... "Go to People Power Party"
Rep. Jeong Seong-ho Criticizes Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae Saying "Please Act Moderately"
Choi Jang-jip Criticizes "Activist Generation, Elite Group, and 'Bba' Factions Allied with Them"

On January 5th last year, the 'Moonpa Live Aid - Happy New Year Talk Show,' a New Year's event for supporters of President Moon Jae-in, was held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building Auditorium.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Resign from the Democratic Party immediately!", "Go to the People Power Party!"

On the 16th, the 'Pro-Moon' (친문) faction and 'Moonbba' (a derogatory term used to blindly criticize supporters of President Moon Jae-in) visited the Facebook page of Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, urging him to 'resign from the party,' sparking criticism that this is so-called 'Moonbba fascism.' Critics argue that this resembles fascism, a form of totalitarianism, as it seems to tolerate no dissenting opinions from lawmakers.

The phenomenon of 'Moonbba fascism' has continued since the Moon Jae-in administration. Although lawmakers have the status to carry out their legislative duties according to their conscience, some members confess that being targeted by the so-called 'Moonbba coordinates' and subjected to collective criticism and even vulgar insults inevitably makes them cautious.

According to the National Assembly Act (Article 114), △lawmakers, as representatives of the people, are not bound by their party's decisions and vote according to their conscience, and △according to the Constitution (Article 46), lawmakers perform their duties prioritizing national interests and according to their conscience. However, there is a self-deprecating criticism that 'Moonbba fascism' is practically placed above the Constitution and the National Assembly Act.

Park Yong-jin, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 12th, during a leadership lecture at Yonsei University, Representative Park said, "Former President Rhee Syngman made many mistakes, and former President Park Chung-hee's military dictatorship and anti-human rights actions must be accurately evaluated," adding, "However, both had foresight looking toward the future."

Although his remarks intended to clearly assess the pros and cons of the two former presidents, Moonbba supporters did not tolerate this. They criticized the idea of acknowledging the merits of people who claimed 'dictatorship' and 'destruction of democracy' as incomprehensible.

One netizen said, "This is a typical logic of people who glorify dictatorship," and added, "Why should such people be in the Democratic Party, where people who shed blood for democracy gather? Park Yong-jin should make such claims in the People Power Party or a party that tolerates such views," expressing frustration.

Another netizen also said, "People like Park Yong-jin are not needed in the Democratic Party," and argued, "This is not the first time; at this point, it is an act that harms the party. The party needs to discipline him." They continued, "He remains silent on calls for resignation, but he is not avoiding causing problems either; I don't know what he intends to do," raising their voice.

As the controversy continued, Representative Park posted an explanation titled 'Regarding the controversy over Rhee Syngman, Park Chung-hee, and Chosun Ilbo.' However, as of 10 a.m. that day, the post had 262 comments mostly criticizing him, and the uproar seemed to be growing. Some even poured out vulgar insults.

On the morning of the 4th, at the plenary meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly, Jeong Seong-ho, the chairman of the Budget and Accounts Committee, is talking with Choo Mi-ae, the Minister of Justice. [Yonhap News file photo]

The collective criticism through 'coordinate targeting' by Moonbba supporters is not limited to Representative Park. On the 12th, during a meeting, Jung Sung-ho, chairman of the National Assembly Budget Committee and a Democratic Party member, told Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae to "moderate yourself" when she interrupted opposition lawmakers' questions. Like with Representative Park, 'Pro-Moon' and Moonbba supporters subjected him to collective criticism.

In response, Chairman Jung posted on his Facebook on the 13th, saying, "We need a world where common sense and reason prevail," and lamented, "I said just one word for smooth proceedings, but I have been exhausted all day."

This is not the first time that expressing a different opinion on a specific issue has led to coordinate targeting and collective criticism. In particular, Representative Park was relentlessly attacked after making a principled statement regarding allegations of preferential treatment during the military service of Minister Choo's son.

In a CBS radio interview on September 16, Representative Park said about the allegations, "Education and military service are matters of national interest and a sensitive issue for the people," adding, "(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 people about the very suspicion."

Immediately after this statement, Moonbba supporters visited Park's Facebook page and continued urging him to resign from the party, also pouring out vulgar insults.

The same applies to fellow party member Cho Eung-chun. In a September 14 interview with Shindonga, he said, "The issue started with whether the leave was properly processed or not, but now allegations have emerged about requests for assignment to a specific unit as an interpreter," emphasizing, "Various testimonies and evidence are coming out, so the right answer is to reveal everything as it is and quickly reach a conclusion."

On the 21st of last month, former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop announced his departure from the Democratic Party. In a post on his Facebook, he criticized, "The biggest problem is the arrogance of division within the Democratic Party." Photo by Yonhap News

Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who has now left the Democratic Party, faced the same situation. He criticized Democratic Party member Hwang Hee, who called the party staff soldier who first raised the military service preferential treatment allegations a 'lone offender,' by saying, "Are you sane?" and was met with collective protests.

On the 12th, Geum emphasized through his Facebook regarding the controversy, "Regardless of party affiliation, ruling or opposition, progressiveness or conservatism, a lawmaker is a representative of the people. For any reason, they should not criticize the people they represent. That is equivalent to denying the very basis of a lawmaker's existence."

Meanwhile, on the 21st of last month, Geum Tae-seop posted on Facebook a piece titled 'Leaving the Democratic Party,' stating, "I have reached a point where I can no longer approve or agree with the direction the party is heading," and "As a final protest, I submit my resignation with sincerity and earnestness."

Geum criticized, "There is no reasonable debate, and the reasons for delayed decisions were not explained. I suspect they are just calculating how to receive the least criticism and suffer the least damage."

Park Yong-jin, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker [Photo by Yonhap News]

Amid this, Representative Park Yong-jin emphasized continuing his 'principled remarks' through text messages sent to reporters and his Facebook on September 23. He said, "Recently, I have been bombarded with text messages and protest calls to my office. I recalled a book I once read and looked it up again. My thoughts on the attitude of politicians remain the same now and before: politicians must be honest."

Park said, "Despite immediate criticism, resistance, and even the defection of supporters, challenging and making decisions for the benefit of the entire community and future-oriented values are core virtues of politicians and national leaders," adding, "Even President Washington approved the Jay Treaty, a humiliating agreement with Britain, while listening to calls for his hanging."

He continued, "I have received excessive encouragement and unfair criticism while doing politics. However, if I avoid criticism out of fear, greater regret and criticism will follow later. I believe that if I proceed honestly and responsibly, even those who criticize and dislike me will understand my sincerity."

However, harsh criticism poured in even on this post. Netizens continued with vulgar remarks such as, "Then say that in the People Power Party, not the Democratic Party!" and "Haven't you resigned yet?"

Among progressive professors, there is criticism that such collective criticism by Moonbba supporters is evidence that the Democratic Party is not functioning properly.

Choi Jang-jip, emeritus professor of political science and diplomacy at Korea University, wrote in a paper titled 'Rethinking Korean Democracy' for the Seoul National University Korean Politics Research Institute's 'Korean Politics Research,' "After the candlelight protests, the emergence of the Moon Jae-in government was expected to be a turning point for Korean democracy entering a new stage, but now Korean democracy is in crisis," and criticized, "This crisis stems from the political failure of the elite group of the student activist generation and the so-called 'bba' faction allied with them."

Also, Kang Jun-man, a professor at Jeonbuk National University, pointed out in his book 'Power Changes People's Brains,' "There are regimes that forget the obvious fact that 'the level of conservatives determines the level of progressives, and the level of progressives determines the level of conservatives' and govern targeting enthusiastic supporters, and the Moon administration is one of them."