Cho Haejin Urges President Moon, With One Year Left, to Restore South Korea to Its Original State

"Do Not Rely on 'Concrete Support'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, Reporter Naju Seok] On May 9, Representative Cho Haejin, who is running for the leadership of the People Power Party, called on President Moon Jae-in, who has one year left in his term, to reflect, apologize, and restore South Korea to its original state.

In a press conference titled "A Candid Advice to a Lame Duck President on His Way Down the Mountain" held that day, Representative Cho stated, "The unfortunate history of South Korean presidents, with no exceptions since the founding of the nation, has been a tragedy in our constitutional history, a source of suffering for the people, and a shackle that has held back national development." He insisted, "President Moon should focus his remaining time on becoming the first president to break free from this curse of former presidents."

He said, "President Moon must reflect and apologize for creating a country that we have never experienced before, and a country that we never wish to experience again, as well as for subjecting the people to such a dreadful experience." He added, "South Korea must be restored to its original state."

Representative Cho demanded, "President Moon must apologize for and reverse regressive policies such as the drastic increase in minimum wage, the forced reduction of working hours, and other experiments in income-led growth, as well as the delusion of phasing out nuclear power, all of which have undermined the fundamentals of the economy and the basis for growth." He continued, "He must also apologize for undermining constitutional values such as parliamentary democracy, judicial independence, the separation of powers, election neutrality, and the guarantee of basic rights, and for driving South Korea toward a totalitarian and oppressive society. He must restore constitutionalism." Additionally, he urged, "The president must repeal and reverse various harmful laws that were pushed through by the ruling party at his behest, including the punitive real estate tax law, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Act, and the Kim Yo-jong Order Law." Furthermore, he argued, "He must restore the destroyed trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan-which has left only the bones of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and turned Japan into a hostile nation-and build a trilateral alliance of liberal democracy and market economy as the foundation for South Korea's second leap forward and prosperity."

Representative Cho cautioned, "President Moon should not place his trust in 'concrete support,'" adding, "History testifies that there is no such thing as 'concrete.' For those who rely on 'concrete support,' it becomes nothing more than a deadly poison that leads to mutual ruin."