Jin Joong-kwon: "Democratic Party in turmoil over Geum Tae-seop's 'Joining Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign'... Did he really apologize for the 'Cho Kuk incident'?"

Jin Joong-kwon, Lee Jae-myung's 'Cho Kuk Incident' Apology Sincerity Questioned
"Democratic Party Criticizes Geum Tae-seop Joining People Power Party Campaign... Is It Really an Apology?"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop joined the strategic planning office of the election campaign committee for Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, prompting criticism from the Democratic Party. In response, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon said, "There was a huge uproar in the Democratic Party calling him all sorts of traitors and the 'prosecutors' party,'" adding, "They verbally apologized but still do not acknowledge the 'Cho Kuk incident.'"

On the 7th, Jin appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' and evaluated Geum's joining the People Power Party's campaign committee as "a considerable threat to the Democratic Party. This is linked to the 'Cho Kuk incident.'"

Jin expressed doubts about the sincerity of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's apology regarding the 'Cho Kuk incident.' He pointed out, "Lee Jae-myung apologized for the Cho Kuk incident. Nevertheless, when Geum joined the other side (People Power Party), criticism continued to come from this side (Democratic Party)."

He continued, "If the apology had been sincere, the best statement the Democratic Party could have made to Geum would be, 'We are truly sorry. We regret letting you go there. We will reflect and apologize, so we hope you would not go there.' But instead, there was a huge uproar calling him all sorts of traitors and the prosecutors' party," he criticized.

He urged candidate Lee and the Democratic Party, "I wish your stance were clearer. Did you apologize or not? Did you reflect or not? If you apologized and reflected, there are typical actions that follow. You are not doing those now," he criticized.

Geum had previously criticized the Democratic Party's stance of 'defending Cho Kuk,' earning the nickname 'Mr. Bitter Truth.' During the confirmation hearing of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk in September 2019, Geum criticized the allegations of his children's admission fraud, saying, "The candidate is not being criticized because of his academic background, origin, or progressive life, but because of the inconsistency between his words and actions."

As a result, he faced some criticism within the party and was eliminated in the party primary for the 21st general election last year. Subsequently, on October 21 of last year, Geum announced his departure from the Democratic Party via Facebook, stating, "I have reached a point where I can no longer approve or agree with the direction the party is heading."

On the 7th, Kim Yong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted on his Facebook criticizing former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop's joining of the People Power Party's presidential campaign committee. Photo by Kim Yong-min.

The People Power Party announced on the 7th that Geum had been appointed as the head of the strategic planning office of the Central Election Campaign Committee. In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min criticized on Facebook, saying, "Geum Tae-seop, certified political turncoat. Congratulations on joining the prosecutors' party," adding, "I thought it couldn't get any worse, but I already worry about how much more shameful behavior we will see."

Meanwhile, candidate Lee previously visited Gimje City, Jeonbuk, on the 4th and mentioned the Cho Kuk incident, saying, "If the people are disappointed, it is right to apologize for that," and added, "We cannot say why higher moral standards and more demands are only required of us. If the people say it was wrong, we must admit it was wrong."

On the 6th, he also appeared on MBC's program 'News Outside' and said, "We must take responsibility for not meeting the people's expectations," adding, "The core of responsibility is to acknowledge mistakes and apologize. I apologize again here. It was wrong, and we must not repeat it in the future," bowing his head once more.