'Yoon Mentor' Shinpyeong: "I Cannot Be a Traitor... I've Never Held an Official Position"

"No Position Held in Yoon Administration"
Text Messages Received from 'Seoul-ui Sori' Representative Also Revealed

Shin Pyeong, a lawyer known as President Yoon Suk-yeol's mentor, directly refuted the remarks calling him a 'gansin' (treacherous minister), saying, "I am not at all the type to become a gansin."

On the 22nd, Shin posted an article titled 'The Theory of Gansin (奸臣)' on his Facebook. He began by saying, "Lately, many have been calling me a 'gansin' of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration." Shin pondered, "If we interpret gansin in a modern sense, could it be 'someone who holds a responsible government position or flatters those in power to secure a position but fails to properly perform their duties and repeatedly says only what pleases the power holder, thereby disrupting the execution of state affairs'?"

Lawyer Shin Pyeong (left) and President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News

He then introduced a quote from Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: "When I look back on all past history, ministers have always flattered, and kings have always been arrogant." Perhaps all ministers have a tendency toward becoming gansin. However, Shin went on to say, "I do not seem to meet any of the conditions required to become a gansin," and proceeded to refute the claim point by point.

First, he stated that he has never held any position in the Yoon administration. He said, "From the beginning of the government to now, I have consistently been someone living in the countryside, farming and reading books," adding, "After President Yoon's inauguration, I cut off contact with him myself. Even if I wanted to flatter, I had no opportunity." Shin also claimed that during the Moon Jae-in administration, he was seriously considered or recommended as a candidate for positions such as the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection or a Supreme Court justice.

He continued, "In any case, I do not meet any of the qualifications to become a gansin," and revealed a message he received from Baek Eun-jong, the representative of 'Seoul's Voice,' known as a far-left figure. The message contained harsh insults, including, "Shin Pyeong, you are the dirtiest and vilest gansin in the world! (omitted) Shin Pyeong, if you keep glorifying the traitor Yoon Suk-yeol, I will report you as an accomplice to rebellion. History will record you as a gansin like Yu Jagwang, and you will be pointed at by generations to come. You are a crazy bastard on the same level as Yoon Suk-yeol!"

Regarding this message, Shin responded, "Haha, I am just someone farming and living quietly; what chance do I have to act like a gansin? Please be generous as this is just a remark made along the course of fate," and concluded by emphasizing once again, "In any case, I am someone who cannot become a gansin even if I wanted to, as I do not meet any of the conditions of a gansin."

Earlier, on the 20th, Shin wrote a post titled 'Regarding the Resolution of Internal Conflict in the People Power Party' on Facebook, stating, "Anyone who experiences hardships and trials and rises again inevitably changes," and added, "President Yoon's character is originally good-natured and not someone trapped within himself, so I believe he will actively utilize the lessons learned from the current process to become a great leader."

He went on, "It is said that bullying is occurring against lawmakers who supported the impeachment within the People Power Party. There needs to be humble reflection on why so many traitors have emerged in the Yoon administration now," and pointed out, "The key mistake of the Yoon administration was poor talent recruitment and management." He concluded, "If the People Power Party collapses, conservatism collapses, which will cause a major disruption in state affairs. I sincerely hope that they wisely discern the good from the bad and skillfully resolve the internal conflict within the party."