Kim Ki-hyun "Jeong Ho-young's resignation is unfortunate but inevitable"

"Illegal activities not revealed during hearings... Potential for misunderstanding from the public's perspective"
In response to criticism of the US-Korea summit as an 'amateur government'... "The Democratic Party seems destined to remain in opposition"

Kim Ki-hyun, Co-Chairman of the People Power Party's Joint Election Countermeasures Committee, is speaking at the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting for the local elections held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] Kim Ki-hyun, Co-Chairman of the People Power Party's Joint Election Countermeasures Committee, commented on the voluntary resignation of Jeong Ho-young, Minister of Health and Welfare nominee, saying, "Personally, it is regrettable, but I think it was the natural course of events."

On the 24th, Kim made this remark during YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' in response to the question, "How do you evaluate Jeong Ho-young's eventual voluntary resignation?"

He said, "Looking at the confirmation hearing process, it does not seem that the allegations of 'Dad's Chance' were clearly proven illegal," adding, "However, from the public's perspective, there were parts that could cause misunderstandings about whether it was appropriate for a public official. Therefore, I think the general public opinion was that it was not appropriate for him to become a minister." He continued, "It seems he considered these points and ultimately decided to resign."

Regarding Jeong's explanation in his resignation statement that "there is no legal problem with the 'Dad's Chance' allegations," Kim said, "That was probably what he wanted to say personally."

He also dismissed the sexual misconduct allegations against Secretary Yoon Jae-soon, saying, "Considering the controversy surrounding this person, the materials are from 10 or 11 years ago when he published a poetry collection. Poetry is actually an expression with many abstract elements," adding, "It is not appropriate to excessively criticize him based on the fact that he published a poetry collection as a poet."

He then mentioned Blue House officials during the Moon Jae-in administration, such as Tak Hyun-min, Ki Mo-ran, and Lee Jin-seok, saying, "If you scrutinize, these people would become controversial as well."

Regarding the Democratic Party's disparaging evaluation of the South Korea-US summit as an "amateur government," Kim criticized, "The Democratic Party's first reaction was 'amateur government.' It shows that the Democratic Party's capacity is only that much, and it seems they will continue to be the opposition party."

He added, "The Democratic Party regime itself conducted amateur diplomacy and amateur inter-Korean relations throughout the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration. Didn't you hear countless times that it was like 'boiled small brain'?" He continued, "(North Korea) blew up the inter-Korean joint liaison office, yet they could not even issue a proper protest, file a damage claim, or demand a fact-finding investigation."

He went on, "The North Korean nuclear issue has become much more advanced, and (North Korea) is blatantly test-firing short-range weapons against South Korea," concluding, "Those who conducted an amateur regime for five years are now calling the new government amateur right from the start. It seems they will continue to be the opposition party."