Jung Seyeon Directly Hits Yoon Seokyeol... Shaking the Political Sphere

Prime Minister Jeong: "If you want to express your conviction, step down and do so confidently"
Ruling party, restrained response amid calls for resignation: "Must step down immediately"
Opposition criticism sharp: "President Moon is the biggest stakeholder"

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung, Ryu Jeong-min, Geum Bo-ryeong] With just over a month remaining until the April 7 by-elections, the political sphere is unsettled by the sudden emergence of the Yoon Seok-yeol scandal. The ruling party is refraining from direct responses, considering the potential negative impact on the elections. They are taking the so-called ‘Chu-Yoon conflict’ during former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae’s tenure as a cautionary example. However, strong resistance is also emerging as senior ruling party lawmakers and even Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun have mentioned resignation. Meanwhile, the conservative opposition is sharpening its criticism of the administration and appears ready to fully leverage the Yoon Prosecutor General card.

◆Ruling Party Holds Back Official Response...But ‘Calls for Yoon’s Resignation’ Boil Over= At the day’s Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting, leader Lee Nak-yeon and floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon made no remarks regarding the Yoon Prosecutor General situation. Lee Nak-yeon told reporters, "I have nothing special to comment on. If it is about prosecutorial reform opinions, it would have been more usual to address them through the Ministry of Justice." A Democratic Party official said, "We see no need to respond to every issue and escalate the matter."

While the leadership is adopting a kind of ‘strategic patience,’ the atmosphere does not prevent internal voices from surfacing. Hong Young-pyo, a former floor leader and one of the next party leadership contenders, demanded Yoon’s resignation via Facebook the previous day, stating, "We must not politically exploit the president’s agonizing trust. If he does not intend to faithfully perform his duties for the remainder of his term, stepping down immediately is the minimum courtesy to the appointing authority and the people."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also posted on Facebook that day, "As prime minister overseeing the executive branch, I deeply regret Prosecutor General Yoon’s statements and behavior that incite the public. Executive officials have the duty to follow hierarchy and procedures," adding, "Threatening to resign is irresponsible incitement of the public. If he truly wants to express his convictions, he should step down and conduct himself with dignity." This marks the prime minister’s public call for the prosecutor general’s resignation.

Political circles interpret Prosecutor General Yoon’s sudden acceptance of media interviews, after previously refraining from public comments, as effectively initiating political activity. On KBS Radio’s ‘Choi Kyung-young’s Strong Current Affairs,’ People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong said, "I see this as a declaration that he now intends to enter politics." The leadership of the People Power Party, including emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in and floor leader Joo Ho-young, did not strongly react to Yoon’s remarks the previous day, which analysts suggest reflects the burden of Yoon’s rising presence as a presidential contender.

Meanwhile, the opposition highly values Yoon’s claims and uses them as primary material for criticizing the administration. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun appeared on MBC Radio and said, "As the investigation’s blade approaches power corruption, they are trying to create a separate investigative agency to avoid it," sharply criticizing, "The biggest interested party is President Moon Jae-in."

◆Concerns Over ‘Blue House-Prosecution Conflict’ Becoming a Political Black Hole= Although an uncomfortable sentiment is sensed within the Blue House, official responses remain ‘measured.’ The Blue House did not issue any special reaction to Prosecutor General Yoon’s media remarks that morning. It is known that the Blue House spokesperson has no plans to release an official statement. This aligns with the internal Blue House view that there is no need to respond to every word and action of the prosecutor general.

The Blue House is determined to avoid a resurgence of conflict with the prosecution amid pressing issues such as COVID-19. They are concerned that if the Blue House intervenes and the situation escalates into a ‘Blue House-Prosecution conflict,’ it could play into the prosecution’s strategy to resist reforms, which is seen as a risk factor.