Choo Mi-ae: "Moon Unable to Suppress Yoon Due to Public Pressure"

4 Years Ago 'Chu-Yoon Conflict' Main Figure Chu Mi-ae
"Impeachment Triggered Sudden Outburst of Pain"
"Personnel Authority Unable to Suppress Due to Public Pressure"

Choo Mi-ae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said regarding the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol in the National Assembly, "The moment the impeachment was passed, I had deeply engraved within me the painful memories of every moment over the past four years, so I didn’t know how to contain the feelings that suddenly burst out from within." Choo had previously engaged in fierce conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol during her tenure as Minister of Justice under the Moon Jae-in administration, continuing the so-called ‘Choo-Yoon conflict.’

Choo Mi-ae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 15th, Choo stated through her social media (SNS), "Four years ago, despite the prejudice and harsh treatment from the media, the righteous prosecutors who trusted me and did their best in inspection and disciplinary actions, but had to leave the Ministry of Justice due to the rapidly changing political situation, as well as the deputy ministers and prosecutors who suffered retaliation investigations from Yoon Suk-yeol, were falsely accused, harassed, or left the prosecution due to unfair disciplinary actions, I feel a deep sense of apology toward them."

Regarding the cause of the emergency martial law on December 3rd, she said, "Such unimaginable riots were due to the failure to properly change anything after the victory of the Candlelight Revolution in 2016," adding, "The pain and damage were passed on to the people, and the people stopped the rampage of the monster who could no longer endure it. Ultimately, the people succeeded."

She continued, "I detected and disciplined Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol for actively obstructing inspections and investigations to hide illegal acts by himself and his relatives, but in the end, the appointing authority, pressured by public opinion, failed to suppress him," and criticized, "Later, even after he entered the presidential race and his wife and relatives’ misconduct was revealed, he reversed the situation by having reporters who reported and politicians who filed complaints accused through Prosecutor Son Jun-sung and others like Kim Woong in the ‘report scandal’ case. When Yoon loudly claimed it was a forged document, the media trusted and sided with him." This was a critique of former President Moon Jae-in, who was the appointing authority, and the media’s responsibility.

She then expressed, "I offer thanks and respect to those who willingly bore the numerous sacrifices and dedication behind those who are now in the spotlight of the impeachment stage," and added, "Once again, I thank the people who stopped the ticking time bomb, Yoon Suk-yeol."