[Hotterview] 'Solo Support' Kim Woong "Party Must Take Charge for Government Success"

'Corporal Chae Special Investigation Act' Votes Alone Amid Ruling Party Walkout
"If Truth Is Distorted, the Party Will Also Disappear"

When the 'Special Investigation Act for Corporal Chae,' which was not announced in advance, was brought up as an agenda item at the National Assembly plenary session on the 2nd, the ruling party, the People Power Party, collectively walked out. The Special Investigation Act for Corporal Chae mandates a special investigation into allegations that the Presidential Office and the Ministry of National Defense intervened during the initial investigation and transfer to the police of the case in which Corporal Chae Su-geun died in the line of duty during a missing persons search operation last July.

After all the ruling party members left, the Special Investigation Act was passed with unanimous approval from 168 present members of the Democratic Party of Korea. There was one ruling party member who stayed. It was Kim Woong, representing the Seoul Songpa-gap-eul constituency. Kim has consistently insisted that the truth of this incident must be revealed. He announced that he would not run in the April 10 general election.

Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the National Election Commission held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Why did you vote in favor of the Special Investigation Act?

The reason is well known. Because it is related to the Presidential Office. The special investigation system was created to prepare for such cases, and realistically, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (PCC) is not an institution capable of conducting a proper investigation. Saying that we should wait for the PCC's investigation results is, in my view, a cowardly excuse. Meanwhile, the main case itself has not progressed. A prompt investigation is necessary to quickly clear Colonel Park Jong-hoon's name.

The ruling party members all walked out, though.

On the contrary, if we were the opposition, how would they have reacted if we had rejected this Special Investigation Act? A proper political party should come forward first to resolve such issues, but our party has only attacked Colonel Park Jong-hoon. Then, criticizing the unilateral operation of the National Assembly is just a side issue. Saying that there was no agreement and therefore we cannot support it means there was never any intention to do so. Why has nothing been done about this case, which was a matter of national interest? Now, complaining that the opposition proceeded unilaterally is putting the cart before the horse.

There seems to be great concern in the ruling party because of its connection to the Presidential Office.

From the ruling party's perspective, even I wondered until the last moment whether the party should play a role in protecting the President. But so far, our party has only followed whatever the President wanted. The reason the President is failing is that no one spoke up when something was wrong. Even when using Biden as an example, the party was completely sacrificed, and when the President expelled the party leader and gave a thumbs-up, no one said a word. Our party overprotects the President to the extent that it does not even consider political responsibility when the President makes mistakes. For the government to succeed now, the party must discipline the President, but if we show the kind of behavior seen yesterday (the 2nd), both the party and the President will fail.

Will the atmosphere change in the 22nd National Assembly?

Our party members have become too powerless. Even though they know something is wrong, they have been cautious and swept up by the overall atmosphere, unable to raise their voices. We are human too; do you think we don't know this is wrong? Things must change now. If there is a heart that thinks of the party and the country, the approach must change. If the President has done wrong, he must be sharply reprimanded. If the party continues to flatter the President, distort the truth, and ignore the will of the people, our party will disappear after the President's term ends. The 22nd National Assembly will be interesting.

Will the Reform New Party be a threat to the party?

As you can see now, the Reform New Party has no content. Because of that, their approval ratings will continue to fall. The public's perception of former leader Lee Jun-seok as a weak and victimized figure and of Lee, who became a member of the National Assembly as a winner, will change. Therefore, demands will increase. But whether the Reform New Party is prepared?I honestly don't know what stage they are at or what they are doing.