Choo Releases 'Roh Moo-hyun Photo'... Will 'Pro-Moon' Rally or Face Backlash for Supporting 'Impeachment'? [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Choo Mi-ae "Feeling Fear Toward the Prosecution That Became the Prosecutors"
Photo of Former President Roh's Portrait Released...Effect of Pro-Moon Gathering
Jin Joong-kwon "Betraying Roh Moo-hyun's Spirit in Roh Moo-hyun's Name"
Won Hee-ryong "Recalling the Role in Leading Roh Moo-hyun's Impeachment"

A photo of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun shared by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on her Facebook on the 3rd. Photo by Minister Choo's Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice, posted a portrait of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun on her Facebook, declaring her commitment to fully accomplish prosecutorial reform. Although the court has put a halt to the suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's duties, it is interpreted as her determination to push forward with prosecutorial reform without wavering. Some interpret this as a statement foreshadowing a strong disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon.

However, there are views that merely mentioning former President Roh has given the opposition parties a pretext for criticism. Previously, the opposition criticized Minister Choo for allegedly leading the impeachment of former President Roh.

Additionally, those questioning the legality of the prosecutorial reform pushed by Minister Choo argue that her revealing the photo of former President Roh is merely a political act aimed at rallying the 'Chinmun' (pro-Moon Jae-in faction) and 'Munppa' (a derogatory term for people who blindly support President Moon Jae-in) forces.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who was unable to go to work due to the decision to exclude him from duty by Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae, is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu on the afternoon of the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 3rd, Minister Choo stated on Facebook, "The prosecution has become so politicized that it is called the 'Prosecutors' Party,' even rendering democratic control mechanisms powerless," adding, "We will advance unwaveringly to restore the prosecution to one that exercises prosecutorial power fairly and without discrimination under the rule of law."

She also claimed, "Former presidents, former prime ministers, and former ministers have all fallen victim to harsh investigative spectacles," and "The all-powerful prosecution in South Korea has unjustly used its position to protect close aides of the powerful and has shown boundless leniency in front of formidable economic and media powers."

In particular, Minister Choo shared a photo of a Buddhist altar, saying, "This is my earnest prayer and heart offered before the portrait of the late President Roh Moo-hyun at Naksansa Temple in the East Sea." On the left is the portrait of Great Monk Oh-hyun, the head monk of Sinheungsa Temple who passed away in 2018, and on the right is the portrait of former President Roh Moo-hyun.

After Minister Choo revealed the portrait of former President Roh on her Facebook, supporters from the 'Chinmun' and 'Munppa' factions expressed their support with comments such as "Truly admirable," "Supporting the lone Choo Mi-ae," and "Let's walk only on the flower path with prosecutorial reform." However, opposition parties and others opposing the prosecutorial reform criticized the disclosure of the portrait as inappropriate.

On March 9, 2003, President Roh Moo-hyun is receiving a question during a dialogue with prosecutors from across the country at the Government Complex.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon directly criticized Minister Choo on the morning of the same day, saying, "Stop disgracing Roh Moo-hyun any further." He added, "This performance is the official aesthetic of the Moon Jae-in administration's Tak Hyun-min style. As she becomes precarious, she intends to summon memories of Roh Moo-hyun to rally supporters again."

He continued, "They violated the spirit of Article 12, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which requires due process when imposing disadvantages on individuals, and are now using former President Roh as a defender of their unconstitutional actions," emphasizing, "When President Roh's family was implicated in corruption, he told his supporters to 'abandon me.' That meant that abandoning him was necessary for progressive values to survive."

He further stated, "In his will, he wrote, 'Do not blame anyone.' He knew that politics of resentment would cause fatal harm to the nation and democracy. Yet, they are betraying Roh Moo-hyun's spirit in his name," delivering a sharp rebuke.

He concluded, "How unfair and angry would President Roh be if he saw this from heaven? They have exploited the public's 'resentment' over President Roh's death for their political gain. Nowadays, I even doubt whether they truly harbor 'resentment' over his death. If there were any sincerity in that resentment, they would not sell it so cheaply. Stop this nonsense and resign now," he urged.

On March 13, 2004, Choo Mi-ae, then a Democratic Party lawmaker, is seen looking at a newspaper reporting the resolution of the impeachment motion against former President Roh Moo-hyun. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, criticism from the opposition that Minister Choo led the impeachment of former President Roh at the forefront during the impeachment period has previously surfaced, and similar criticisms are expected again regarding her recent Facebook post.

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province, criticized Minister Choo on his Facebook on the 2nd, saying, "This is an abuse of power and the pinnacle of political self-harm. It reminds me of her role in leading the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun."

Regarding the Ministry of Justice's disciplinary committee's judgment that the suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon's duties was inappropriate, he said, "Legal professionals clearly recognize actions that should not be taken," but added, "It is not difficult to predict what Minister Choo will do. She will seek other ways to remove Prosecutor General Yoon."

He continued, "Allowing the court to determine the final meaning of political controversy means that power is abused and politics does not function. If this situation persists, power will eventually try to engulf even the courts," expressing concern.

Governor Won emphasized, "If Minister Choo, who abused power, is not dismissed and the situation is not properly resolved, this incident will become the prologue to a regime change. The people no longer want to see a regression in history and democracy."

In March 2004, when she was a standing central committee member of the Millennium Democratic Party (now the Democratic Party of Korea), Minister Choo supported the impeachment motion, saying after former President Roh's press conference, "The president's apology lacked concrete content." However, after the impeachment motion was dismissed, she apologized by performing the 'Samboilbae' (three steps, one bow) and later lost in the April general election that year.