"It is right to voluntarily step down"
With Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, returning to party affairs, calls for disciplining Democratic Party members who voted in favor of his arrest motion are emerging mainly from the pro-Myeong (친명) faction. In this context, Choo Mi-ae, a senior party figure and former Minister of Justice, supported this view by stating, "Disciplinary procedures must be initiated."
On the 4th, on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' former Minister Choo said, "If those individuals tried to intimidate the party leader with some kind of nomination or the vote on the arrest motion, such a dysfunctional party cannot exist, so party discipline is necessary."
The pro-Myeong leadership is signaling a large-scale purge of the anti-Myeong (비명) faction members who voted in favor. Supreme Council member Jung Cheong-rae pressured the anti-Myeong faction, saying, "It's time to pay the outstanding debts." Former Minister Choo responded, "I do not want to use expressions like 'outstanding debts,'" adding, "It would be appropriate for those individuals to voluntarily resign."
She said, "Is it acceptable to lose power by less than 1%, see livelihoods and exports collapse, and have security, diplomacy, peace, and history all fall apart, while just being a member of the opposition party and living comfortably?" She continued, "I want to first ask if those individuals had the decency to face the public and go around during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) after what happened."
Regarding her candidacy for next year's general election, she said, "Many people have asked me to definitely run in the election and to play some role, so I am still considering it," adding, "I think I need to make a decision soon." She is also the first lawmaker to achieve four terms in Gwangjin District 2, the constituency of current Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jung.
When asked about running again in Gwangjin District 2, former Minister Choo said, "I am keeping various possibilities open and am contemplating." Regarding opinions that senior lawmakers should run in difficult districts, she said, "We need to comprehensively consider how to fulfill the appropriate role as a senior lawmaker."
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