Geum Tae-seop: "Moon Jae-in is Completely Different from the Late Roh Moo-hyun in Appearance" Comparative Remark

Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who left the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending as a speaker at the People Power Party's freshman lawmakers' meeting "Myeongbulheojeon" held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who left the Democratic Party of Korea, urged President Moon Jae-in to clarify his position regarding the suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol by Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae, stating, "All the current confusion is caused by the president avoiding responsibility and not speaking clearly."

On the 29th, Geum wrote on his Facebook, "When we held candles in the square, we never imagined that as a result, we would have a president who does not want to speak and avoids responsibility," expressing his concerns.

Geum introduced an episode from 2003 involving former President Roh Moo-hyun's 'Conversation with Prosecutors,' saying, "There is a lesser-known episode where former President Roh said, 'Please be especially mindful not to end up supporting the current prosecution leadership and command,' and it was the prosecutors who directly told the Prosecutor General to resign, effectively forcing his resignation. The prosecutors believed that since the president, as the head of state, said it was difficult to continue, the Prosecutor General should step down, and the Prosecutor General eventually agreed."

He continued, "If Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol were told clearly by President Moon to step down, he would have no choice but to accept it, but President Moon is reluctant to reveal his intentions. This is completely different from the stance shown by former President Roh. Because of this, even the prosecution, a government organization, is not following," comparing former President Roh and President Moon Jae-in.

He added, "The ruling party leadership and lawmakers are ignoring the fact that President Moon originally appointed Prosecutor General Yoon and are giving all sorts of reasons to demand that the Prosecutor General resign on his own. Can it get any more cowardly? Ultimately, they are avoiding the core issue (that the president wants to replace the Prosecutor General) and making up other reasons. If the president took responsibility and clearly stated his position, would this exhausting situation occur?"

Finally, he appealed, "President Moon promised in his inaugural speech to be a president who communicates. If that was not a lie, the president should come forward before the people even now."