[Politics That Day] Blanket Kick in the BBK Swamp... The Legendary 'Jueopda'

Na Kyung-won Handling MB Video, Subject Controversy
Presidential Election Turmoil Deeply Engrossed in BBK, Outcome of Misjudgment
MB Elected President with Over 5 Million Vote Margin

Editor's Note‘On That Day in Politics’ is a series that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, or figures.

When immersed in the battlefield of politics, moments arise that one wishes to take back later. These are the episodes that become a mark of dishonor trailing politicians like a label. In other words, moments that make one want to do an ‘Eobul Kick’ (kicking the blanket in frustration).

For politician Na Kyung-won, the so-called ‘subject omission’ controversy is exactly that. Although it happened 16 years ago, the story of that day still circulates like a legend among gossip enthusiasts. The controversy was revived when President Yoon Suk-yeol’s interview with The Washington Post sparked debate over a “missing subject,” bringing back the Na Kyung-won incident.

It was December 2007, during the presidential election?the hottest yet most anticlimactic climax in history. The 2007 presidential election began and ended with BBK. The Grand Unified Democratic New Party (currently the Democratic Party of Korea) candidate Chung Dong-young believed that exposing the BBK allegations could secure the election.

They thought that if it was revealed that Lee Myung-bak (MB), the Grand National Party candidate, was the actual owner, public opinion would shift. Although this was later proven to be a misconception, they firmly believed it before the election.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Grand National Party put all their efforts into defending BBK. Then an accident happened.

On December 16, 2007, a video of MB stating that “the BBK investment advisory company was established in January of this year (2000)” was released. The Grand Unified Democratic New Party’s Emergency Committee announced to the public that “the lie has been exposed,” spreading MB’s video.

When a 2000 Kwangwoon University special lecture video surfaced, suggesting MB himself was the actual owner of BBK, the political world was thrown into turmoil.

It was December 19, just three days before the election. On the weekend right before the election, when all political nerves were at their peak, the Grand Unified Democratic New Party prepared a so-called knockout blow. The BBK crisis reached its peak with the video release that day.

The Grand Unified Democratic New Party was glowing with confidence, believing they had the upper hand. Meanwhile, the Grand National Party was in a state of emergency. It was then that the infamous ‘missing subject’ commentary appeared.

The protagonist was politician Na Kyung-won, who was the Grand National Party spokesperson at the time. On December 17, during a briefing on current issues, Na Kyung-won stated the following.

The traffic lights in front of the National Assembly building are all showing red./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

“It only mentions that ‘BBK was established,’ not that ‘I’ established it. This merely means that there was a business agreement with the BBK company. Advertising this as ‘I established it’ is clearly a false statement.”

This is the very content of the so-called ‘missing subject’ controversy, which still circulates like a legend in Yeouido’s political circles. The claim that MB never explicitly said ‘I established it’ was a hotly debated issue at the time.

Most viewed such an explanation as an excuse. However, in politics, merely creating controversy can lay the groundwork for defense. Na Kyung-won’s commentary came out two days before the election. In just two days, a new president would be elected.

For Grand National Party supporters, a justification for their choice was necessary. They needed grounds to refute the Grand Unified Democratic New Party supporters’ claim that “MB has been lying all along.” Regardless of factual accuracy, Na Kyung-won’s commentary provided political material for debate.

The Grand Unified Democratic New Party’s misconception was the belief that revealing the truth about a specific issue before the election would lead to victory. The public wanted to know the truth about BBK, which heated up the 2007 election, but that was not the entirety of the election.

It was only one of many factors considered in the important act of voting.

Another misjudgment by the Grand Unified Democratic New Party was overlooking that a ‘major scandal’ for the opposing party during an election can be a double-edged sword. Voters already knew that BBK was a political liability for MB.

Even if the BBK controversy concluded unfavorably for MB, it would not necessarily benefit the Grand Unified Democratic New Party. When victory is within reach but can be overturned, Grand National Party supporters tend to unite more tightly, which strongly motivates voter turnout.

On December 17, 2007, just two days before the election, the National Assembly passed a special prosecutor law related to the BBK allegations against Lee Myung-bak, the Grand National Party presidential candidate. This decision was led by the Grand Unified Democratic New Party, which held the majority in the National Assembly at the time. They believed that if the truth about BBK was revealed, MB would find it difficult to maintain his position even if elected president.

However, this was also a misjudgment. The December 19, 2007 election is considered one of the most anticlimactic victories in history. Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party won with about 11.49 million votes amid the BBK controversy. His competitor, Chung Dong-young of the Grand Unified Democratic New Party, received only about 6.17 million votes.

The Grand Unified Democratic New Party suffered a crushing defeat by a margin of over 5 million votes.

Perhaps the scene that requires an ‘Eobul Kick’ as much as the legendary “missing subject” controversy is the Grand Unified Democratic New Party’s misjudgment in thinking that the BBK incident alone could overturn the election.