"Moon, Resigns from Democratic Party" Ahn Cheol-soo's Remark... Shin Dong-geun Says "Rude, Do You Think Political Parties Are a Joke?"

"By Now, They Should Realize the Importance of Political Parties"

Ahn Cheol-soo, Leader of the People Party. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Shin Dong-geun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised his voice of criticism toward Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, who demanded President Moon Jae-in to leave the party, calling it "disrespectful and belittling of political parties."

In a post on Facebook on the 10th, Shin said, "I want to ask Ahn Cheol-soo what a political party really means to him. It is truly rude."

Shin said, "He does not consider political parties as public parties but treats them as private factions he can manipulate at will, so I cannot help but think he casually brings up the idea of the president leaving the party too easily." He criticized, "Ahn seems to belittle political parties because he easily creates, splits, and abandons parties for his political purposes without any hesitation."

He continued, "If asked why Ahn did not leave the party when he lost the unified mayoral primary in Seoul, I am curious how he would respond," adding, "The most precious and fearsome thing for a politician is a political party. By now, Ahn should have realized this, but it seems not easy for him. This is also unfortunate."

Shin pointed out, "Since democratization in 1987, all presidents have had a dark history of leaving their parties. Former President Park Geun-hye was expelled. These are unfortunate events in our political history," and criticized, "It does not align with the principles of responsible politics."

He also emphasized, "Whether the president leaves the party voluntarily or involuntarily, it does not change the achievements or failures of that government," adding, "Future presidential candidates can never be free from the consequences of the president leaving the party. In fact, demands for the president to leave the party have repeatedly been shown to be detrimental to election outcomes."

Shin Dong-geun, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Ahn Cheol-soo urged President Moon to leave the Democratic Party at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day.

Ahn argued regarding President Moon’s 4th anniversary press conference, "President Moon should no longer serve as the head of the pro-Moon faction while holding the presidency," and "The president’s leaving the party could be an opportunity to work for the country and all its people without being swayed by factional logic for the next year."

He further demanded, "If we truly dream of the revival of the Republic of Korea, the president should honestly apologize to the people for the failures and mistakes over the past four years and show a genuine will for change and reform," and "I hope failed policies are boldly acknowledged as mistakes and discarded."