Jin Joong-kwon on Lee Jae-myung's "I won't die": "Those who die are the people around him"

"Effectively, Lee Jae-myung's Political Life is Over"
"To Lee Jae-myung, Humans are Merely Means"

Jin Joong-kwon, Special Professor at Kwangwoon University, strongly criticized Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who declared that he "will not die" despite pressure from the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, saying, "Those who die are the people around him."

Jin Joong-kwon, Special Professor at Kwangwoon University, Yonhap News Agency

On the 16th, Lee stated at the '3rd National Action Day to Condemn Kim Geon-hee and Yoon Seok-yeol's State Power Abuse and Demand a Special Prosecutor' rally held around Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul, that he would not accept the one-year prison sentence with a two-year probation for violating the Public Official Election Act, saying, "Lee Jae-myung will never die." He also criticized the current administration, saying, "The people are the owners of the Republic of Korea, a democratic republic, and all power in this country should be used solely for the people, but it seems the owners of this country are not the people. It seems the owners of this country have changed to Yoon Seok-yeol, Kim Geon-hee, and Myeong Tae-gyun."

In response, on the 17th, Professor Jin posted on his social media service (SNS), "One of the pieces of evidence used in the guilty verdict was a video left by the late Kim Moon-gi, who had to take his own life," and pointed out, "The late Kim Moon-gi's eldest son, who appeared as a witness in court, said that his father had to give up his life because of that person, but that person denied even remembering his father. How shocking that must have been." He also recalled that "the late Jeon Hyung-soo, who served as chief of staff during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, also took his own life and told Lee Jae-myung, 'Please step down from politics now.'"

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is greeting before speaking at the '3rd National Action Day to Condemn Kim Geon-hee and Yoon Seok-youl's State Power Abuse and Demand a Special Prosecutor,' held near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the afternoon of the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News.

Professor Jin criticized, "This ruling effectively ends Lee Jae-myung's political life," adding, "In the end, many innocent people were made to leave this world." He quoted Kant's saying, "Treat people not as means but as ends," and pointed out, "To Lee Jae-myung, humans are merely means."

Earlier, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Chief Judge Han Seong-jin) sentenced Lee Jae-myung, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, to one year in prison with a two-year probation. If this ruling is confirmed by the Supreme Court, Lee will lose his parliamentary seat and be unable to run in the next presidential election. Moreover, the Democratic Party will have to return 43.4 billion won in election expenses reimbursed during the last presidential election.