Ruling Party Stuck on 'Joguk'... "Why Did They Try So Hard to Protect Him?" vs "We Must Not Forget the Seocho-dong Candlelight Spirit"

Text Bombs Sent to 5 First-Term Ruling Party 2030 Members Bowing Their Heads... "Five First-Term Traitors, Mocking the Candlelight"

Jeon Yong-gi, Oh Young-hwan, Lee So-young, Jang Kyung-tae, Jang Cheol-min, and other first-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea are greeting each other before the announcement of the "Democratic Party of Korea 2030 Lawmakers' Statement" held at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Conflicts continue within the ruling party over the causes of the crushing defeat in the April 7 by-elections. First-term lawmakers in their 20s and 30s within the party raised voices of self-reflection regarding the party's unilateral actions, including the response to the 'Cho Kuk incident' and the push for prosecutorial reform. However, some lawmakers and the strong supporter base of the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out that blaming the Cho Kuk incident and prosecutorial reform as the causes of defeat is inappropriate.

Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon pointed out on his Facebook post on the 11th, "The primary cause of the by-election defeat lies in the fact that many citizens felt that voting was the only way to change our party's arrogant attitude."

He mentioned prosecutorial reform, real estate policies, and former Ministers of Justice Cho Kuk and Choo Mi-ae, questioning, "Wasn't the core force of our party filled with a sense of mission to break through by upholding the will of the people who gave us 180 seats, regardless of public opinion on policies, and to protect our members regardless of public evaluation?" This appears to criticize the party mainstream faction that shielded the party despite worsening public opinion due to the Cho Kuk incident.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hae-young also criticized on Facebook on the 8th, "I still cannot understand why the party tried so hard to protect former Minister Cho. It would have been different if someone else had been in that position," adding, "Pushing former Minister Cho amid national resistance was unacceptable."

He continued, "Prosecutorial reform is primarily achieved through legislation, and claiming that prosecutorial reform could only be done by former Minister Cho was truly dishonest," and said, "Seeing the leadership present such a frame to loyal and passionate supporters made me question, 'Is politics allowed to be like this? Is it acceptable to divide the people and incite conflict just to protect one person, Cho Kuk?'"

Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing the 'Democratic Party of Korea 2030 Lawmakers' Statement' at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Five lawmakers in their 20s and 30s, including Oh Young-hwan, Lee So-young, Jang Kyung-tae, Jang Cheol-min, and Jeon Yong-gi, also issued a 'Statement from Democratic Party 2030 Lawmakers,' emphasizing, "We will not turn a blind eye to customs and arrogance and will become agents of innovation."

In particular, they mentioned prosecutorial reform, stating, "It was a policy that many citizens sympathized with, but the process, marred by the conflict between Choo Mi-ae and Yoon Seok-youl, lost the public consensus."

They also referred to the 'Cho Kuk incident,' which was taboo to criticize within the party, saying, "We thought former Minister Cho was the symbol of prosecutorial reform, but many citizens were angered and divided in the process."

However, strong supporters reacted against this. On the Democratic Party's rights members' bulletin board and pro-Moon online communities, criticisms poured in such as "The five first-term lawmakers insulted the Candlelight Movement," "We will not forget the five first-term lawmakers who stabbed us in the back," and "The five first-term lawmakers who spoke nonsense today should be expelled from the party." They were even mocked with the term 'Choseonjok' (a pun combining first-term lawmakers and ethnic Koreans from China).

Some within the party also said it is inappropriate to blame the Cho Kuk incident and prosecutorial reform for the by-election defeat.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae said on Facebook on the 9th, "Until early March, candidate Park Young-sun was leading in polls, but public opinion shifted sharply after the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) scandal," and questioned, "If Cho Kuk and prosecutorial reform were the problems, how could we have won the general election?" He added, "We must not forget the spirit of the Seocho-dong candlelight protests."

Meanwhile, Democratic Party senior deputy spokesperson Park Jin-young also posted on Facebook, urging, "Please give proper constructive criticism," and pointed out, "Re-invoking former Minister Cho or criticizing the nomination of by-election candidates falls into self-contradiction by denying the decisions of party members, the roots of the party."