Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won criticized the 'mass defection votes' during the vote on the arrest motion of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, calling them "friends worse than gangsters." Regarding the recent mass indictments of Moon Jae-in administration officials over the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen, he stated that President Moon Jae-in should express his position.
On the 2nd, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' former Director Park said, "It is very shameful for Democratic Party lawmakers to have more than 30 such rebellious votes in front of the people," referring to the mass defection votes in the Democratic Party.
Although the arrest motion was rejected, calls for Lee's resignation are being seriously raised among non-Myeong (anti-Lee) faction lawmakers. In response, former Director Park advised, "Lee should not be forced to resign," and warned, "If the Gaeddal (hardcore supporters of Lee Jae-myung) also push the party toward division through actions like text message bombings, the Democratic Party will be in danger." Both the resignation demands from the non-Myeong faction and the identification efforts through text message bombings by hardcore supporters could divide the party.
Regarding the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen and the non-detention indictments of four people including former National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, he said, "Those who worked closely with the Moon Jae-in administration are not saying a word. Why is that? President Moon should also make a statement."
He added, "If it were former President Roh Moo-hyun, would he have stayed silent like this? How much did President Kim Dae-jung speak during the special prosecution on North Korean remittances?" He pointed out, "Since no one is explaining, the public is left to think they were indicted for espionage. There has been much discussion about the West Sea incident and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials' case, but no one is speaking out about this indictment."
He also criticized framing the North Korea issue solely from the prosecution's perspective. He said, "Legally, the constitution considers North Korea our territory and North Korean residents as our citizens, but under statutory law, that is not the case," adding, "Given this difference, for the sake of improving inter-Korean relations, especially regarding the two repatriated individuals who are known to have killed many people, should we accept this?"
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