Jeong Cheong-rae "Chu Mi-ae's Courage, Symbol of a Minister" vs Kim Geun-sik "Is It to Appease Pro-Moon Faction?"

Jeong Cheong-rae "Choo Mi-ae Was at the Frontline of the Prosecution Reform Confrontation"
Kim Geun-sik "Neglecting Dongbu Detention Center's COVID Hell to Catch the Prosecutor General"

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] On the 26th, Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam National University, who is the head of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district committee in Seoul and a candidate for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, engaged in a heated debate. When Rep. Jeong praised Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae as "an unprecedented embodiment of the Minister of Justice," Professor Kim responded, "Are you bound by the pro-Moon faction, or are you trying to curry favor with them?"

On the same day, Rep. Jeong wrote on his Facebook, "The courage and determination shown by Minister Choo are an unprecedented embodiment of the Minister of Justice."

He continued, "Previous Ministers of Justice were typical civil servants," adding, "They either carried out their duties conforming to the existing order without noise, or maintained order through unseen force in the shadows."

He further stated, "Perhaps Minister Choo declared the independence of the Ministry of Justice from the prosecution," emphasizing, "She exercised the legally guaranteed ministerial authority over personnel and investigation supervision, and also proposed and exercised disciplinary authority over the Prosecutor General."

He added, "Reform is harder than revolution and meets with persistent resistance, but ultimately it kneels before the justice of history," and "At the forefront of this resistance was Choo Mi-ae. It might have been her destiny as Minister of Justice during this period."

He concluded, "President Moon Jae-in appointed Choo Mi-ae as the lead actor in prosecutorial reform, but perhaps she was also a god of the era," emphasizing, "Prosecutorial reform is a historical destiny."

Kim Geun-sik, professor at Gyeongnam University and head of the Seoul Songpa-byeong district of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

However, Professor Kim rebutted Rep. Jeong's evaluation, saying, "This is really something else."

In a post on Facebook that day, Professor Kim said, "Former Minister Park Young-sun called it 'Moon Jae-in possession country,' and now Rep. Jeong praises Choo Mi-ae as the embodiment of the Minister of Justice," adding, "How can their perception be so detached from public sentiment, like a cave dweller?"

He continued, "Minister Choo is not the embodiment of a minister but a disgrace to the office," pointing out, "She was a headache, not a source of pride. All she did was 'push out Yoon Seok-youl.'"

He criticized, "The Channel A case, Lime Kim Bong-hyung letter case, Prosecutor General Yoon's family case, job suspension, and forced disciplinary actions all ended due to Minister Choo's obstinacy," adding, "By using prosecutorial reform to intimidate the prosecution, prosecutorial reform ultimately became the boy who cried wolf's lie."

He also pointed out, "In the pursuit of catching the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Justice's correctional administration was a mess," and "The Dongbu Detention Center was left as a COVID-19 hell." Earlier, at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified on November 27 last year, over 1,000 inmates were confirmed infected within about a month.

Professor Kim sarcastically criticized Rep. Jeong, asking, "Have you taken the contrarian pill again?" and "Are you bound by the pro-Moon (pro-President Moon Jae-in) hardcore supporters, or are you trying to curry favor with them?"