'Party Withdrawal Reversal Yoon Young-chan' and Hyun Geun-taek Connection... Lee Won-wook Says "Coincidence, Concerned Even Before"

Hyun Geun-taek, Accused of Sexual Harassment
Competitor Disappears from Nomination Race, Interpreted as Change of Heart
‘Principle and Common Sense’ Lawmakers' Group
"Has Been Considering Staying Since Before"
Lee Won-wook: "Regrettable, but I Respect It"

Yoon Young-chan, former Blue House Chief of National Communication, is holding a press conference on the 15th at the National Assembly to announce his joining of the Democratic Party of Korea. Former Chief Yoon stated that he will run for the Seongnam Jungwon-gu election in next year's general election. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

About 30 minutes before the press conference for his withdrawal from the party, Rep. Yoon Young-chan of the Democratic Party of Korea abruptly reversed his decision and chose to remain in the party. On the 11th, independent lawmakers Lee Won-wook, Cho Eung-cheon, and Kim Jong-min (members of the Principles and Common Sense group) all appeared on radio shows to express their positions. All three expressed that they found the situation "regrettable and perplexing," but they distanced themselves from any connection to the sexual harassment allegations against lawyer Hyun Geun-taek, calling it a mere coincidence. Reps. Lee and Cho stated, "Even before this, Yoon Young-chan was seriously contemplating whether to leave or stay in the party."

Rep. Lee appeared on SBS's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" and said about Rep. Yoon, "It's regrettable, but I respect him and hope things go well." He added, "The official announcement of Yoon Young-chan's decision to stay in the party was made through SNS and a statement just 30 minutes ago," and continued, "He called me on Sunday saying he was deeply troubled. On Monday, I tried to persuade him and we had discussions."

Regarding speculation that the party's ethics investigation into Hyun Geun-taek, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, over sexual harassment remarks influenced Yoon's change of heart, they drew a clear line. Rep. Lee emphasized, "The deliberation over leaving or staying was definitely before that issue," calling it a "typical case of post hoc ergo propter hoc." Rep. Cho, appearing on CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," said, "Yoon Young-chan sent us texts about his consideration to stay in the party well before that report." Rep. Kim also appeared on KBS's "Jeon Jong-cheol's Breaking Current Affairs," saying, "There must have been a final fear, worry, and burden about leaving the Democratic Party," adding, "It was a decision and pain like pulling out a tooth, whether a decayed tooth or a stubborn one."

(From left) Jo Eung-cheon, Lee Won-wook, Kim Jong-min, Independent members of the National Assembly

Rep. Cho mentioned on the radio, "Yoon Young-chan started to agonize at the last minute over whether to stay or join a new party." He explained, "Yoon likened it to 'If the previous tenant is causing a fuss and refuses to leave, should the landlord have to move out?' This sparked debates for 2 to 3 days." Here, "previous tenant" is interpreted as the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, and "landlord" as the anti-Moon faction. Rep. Cho said, "We had an early 'Oath of the Peach Garden' pact, so it was quite surprising to see this happen at the last moment. Then Yoon said, 'I guess I can't be a revolutionary.'" He added, "There were many attempts to persuade and coax him, but Yoon Young-chan seemed to have a surprisingly strong bond with the group that worked together in President Moon Jae-in's Blue House."

Rep. Yoon's reversal on leaving the party happened suddenly. On the morning of the 10th, about 30 minutes before the Principles and Common Sense group's withdrawal press conference, he posted on Facebook, "I have decided to remain in the Democratic Party today. I am sorry and deeply regretful to my comrades in Principles and Common Sense who have been with me so far. I wish you success." He stated, "The history of the Democratic Party, with the legacies of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, is too precious to abandon. It is my duty to protect and further clarify that legacy." Accordingly, only three of the four members of Principles and Common Sense?Kim Jong-min, Lee Won-wook, and Cho Eung-cheon?attended the withdrawal press conference the previous day.