Kim Hae-young "Democratic Party, Cannot Understand Why They Tried So Hard to Protect Cho Kuk"
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Haeyoung, who gained attention for his candid remarks in the 20nd National Assembly, called for a complete overhaul of the party on the 8th, saying, "The party made a big mistake in the Cho Kuk incident." On the other hand, pro-Cho Kuk Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yongmin argued, "The core of the public sentiment revealed in the by-election is anger over unfairness," and insisted, "We must carry out prosecutorial reform."
On the same day, former lawmaker Kim wrote on his Facebook, "Everyone in the party is now talking about reflection and innovation. However, for proper reflection and innovation, there are definitely parts that must be clearly addressed. These are the Cho Kuk incident, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl issues, and real estate failures," he pointed out.
He said, "Even now, I cannot understand why the party tried so hard to protect former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. It would have been different if someone other than Cho had been in that position."
He continued, "Pushing Cho Kuk amid national resistance was something that should never have happened," adding, "Regardless of legality, the privileged behavior Cho Kuk showed in his children's education, which went beyond common practices, is something our Democratic Party, which has made reducing social disparities a core task, absolutely cannot defend."
Former lawmaker Kim said, "Prosecutorial reform is mainly achieved through legislation, and the claim that prosecutorial reform could only be done through Cho Kuk was truly dishonest," adding, "Seeing the leadership present such a frame to loyal and enthusiastic supporters of the party, I could not help but question whether politics should be like this, whether it is acceptable to divide the people and incite conflict just to protect one person, Cho Kuk."
He also pointed out, "Even though a strange frame was created to protect Cho Kuk alone, dividing the people and inciting conflict, no one in the party has properly taken responsibility afterward."
Additionally, former lawmaker Kim added, "For our Democratic Party to narrow the gap between party sentiment and public sentiment and to achieve genuine reflection and innovation, even now, there needs to be an explanation of why the party took such a stance during the Cho Kuk incident and sincere reflection from those primarily responsible for causing such national division."
On the other hand, pro-Cho Kuk Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yongmin emphasized, "We will continuously push forward prosecutorial reform and media reform."
On the same day, he claimed on his Facebook, "I hear some say we lost the election because of prosecutorial reform. However, supporters and the public are not tired because of prosecutorial reform."
He added, "The core of the public sentiment revealed in the by-election is anger over unfairness," saying, "Anger over soaring housing prices, the LH speculation scandal, helplessness toward the privileged class in prosecution and political power, powerlessness against biased media, leniency toward mistakes within the Democratic Party, and so on, has led to a judgment against the government and the Democratic Party."
Furthermore, lawmaker Kim defined the most unfair institution in our society as the "prosecution," and argued, "We must reform the prosecution. The media, which spreads unfairness, must also be brought back to its proper place."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
