Kim Boo-kyum on Yang Moon-seok's 'Roh Insult' Controversy: "Let's Re-examine... This Is Not an Issue That Will Fade Away on Its Own"

Suspicions of Nomination Approval Arise Over Roh Defamation Column
Choi Jae-sung: "Yang Moon-seok Controversy, a Complete Set of Issues"

Yang Moon-seok, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Gyeonggi Ansan Gap, is facing internal discord within the party over controversy surrounding his past critical remarks about the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. Kim Boo-kyum, the standing co-chair of the election countermeasures committee, stated on the 19th that "this is not an issue that will naturally be buried over time," and requested a re-examination of the candidate by the party leadership.

On the same day, Kim said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Since he was a civic activist, he can criticize the president or government policies," but he also pointed out, "Using extreme language to mock, ridicule, and express contempt toward the president is not normal." He added, "In a situation where there are competing parties, if this becomes good material for them to criticize, the entire election phase must be considered," and "I do not believe this issue will naturally be buried over time."

Currently, Kim has requested the party leadership to re-examine candidate Yang. Kim said, "I believe Yang's issue could affect the entire election, so I have requested a re-examination, and we need to watch how this unfolds," adding, "The party's nomination rights lie with the party leader and the Supreme Council, and since the party leader is responsible for the overall operation of the party, there will be various considerations."

Regarding claims that the Nomination Management Committee pushed Yang's participation in the primary despite him receiving a zero score on morality, Kim responded, "I cannot comment because I do not know the details at that time." He also refrained from directly answering Yang's side mentioning a full party member vote concerning his position, saying, "This is not a situation where I can give an immediate answer."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, it was revealed that Yang wrote a column in 2008 stating that "President Roh Moo-hyun, who pushed through the Korea-U.S. FTA (Free Trade Agreement) opposed by 60-70% of the people, is a defective product," which drew criticism for belittling the late president. In addition, issues of unfairness in the nomination screening process surfaced. Despite Yang receiving a zero score on morality during the screening, the Nomination Committee allegedly ignored this and pushed for his participation in the primary.

Choi Jae-sung, former senior secretary for political affairs at the Blue House, described Yang as a "problematic all-in-one set." On YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon,' Choi said, "Not only did he make disparaging remarks about former President Roh, but he also argued for the necessity of the so-called 'Ilgan Best' site and was disciplined for offensive remarks related to 'subak' (watermelon)," adding, "More seriously, despite many opinions that he should not have been qualified for the primary during the nomination screening, the chairman of the Nomination Committee pushed for his participation."

He further noted, "This nomination by the Democratic Party cannot be seen as a system nomination." Choi expressed concern, saying, "It is important to faithfully carry out the purpose, intent, and meaning of system nomination," and "Ultimately, since system nomination is operated by people, it can be destroyed at any time."