"People Power Party Supporting the President Will Lose Its Focal Point After Impeachment"
Jin Joong-kwon, Special Professor at Kwangwoon University, criticized the People Power Party's attitude toward President Yoon Seok-yeol's December 3 emergency martial law incident, saying they should have "drawn a line with the president." He argued that President Yoon will continue to act unreasonably and that there is at least some hope in former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, who opposed the martial law.
On the 24th, Professor Jin appeared on the YouTube channel 'Sisa Journal TV' and, in a discussion with Insight K Director Bae Jong-chan, said, "No matter how I think about it, the impeachment trial of President Yoon will come first, and then the third trial decision on the election law involving Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, will take quite a long time. So, I don't really understand what the delay in the impeachment trial is for."
In 2018, Professor Jin Joong-kwon is giving a lecture on the topic of "The Age of Post-Truth." Photo by Yoon Dong-joo
Professor Jin pointed out that the People Power Party is provoking the angry public sentiment. He said, "Both Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong and Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kwon Young-se are people who do not try to cross the 'river of impeachment.' They say they will reform, but that is contradictory. The People Power Party has so far taken away full authority from those who tried to reform?Yoo Seung-min, Lee Jun-seok, Han Dong-hoon?and kept pushing them out," he questioned.
He also criticized the People Power Party's nomination of Representative Kwon Young-se as Emergency Response Committee Chairman. Professor Jin said, "Kwon Young-se is not a person with a strong factional color. He is quite rational and dignified," but added, "He was someone who opposed impeachment." He went on to say, "The two top figures, Kwon Seong-dong and Kwon Young-se, are not people who will do things properly, and even if they do, President Yoon will not leave them alone and will keep causing trouble."
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon is greeting while announcing his resignation from the party leadership at a press conference held at the National Assembly on the morning of December 16. Photo by Yonhap News
He analyzed the People Power Party's handling of former leader Han Dong-hoon as a decisive misstep. Professor Jin said, "Han Dong-hoon was supported by nearly two-thirds of the party members. The party expelled such a person for opposing martial law and supporting impeachment." He added, "If the current system (Kwon Young-se and Kwon Seong-dong) is judged to be untenable, there is a possibility that Han Dong-hoon will make a comeback, and if he does, his approval ratings will quickly recover." He pointed out, "It's like they threw out a strong presidential candidate who could have escaped the Myeong Tae-gyun scandal and presidential impeachment by themselves."
Furthermore, he said, "In my view, President Yoon will 100% go to prison. Then he will receive a very severe sentence. Secondly, even if Lee Jae-myung becomes president, he will go to prison after his term ends. That will also be a very severe sentence. Look at the history of the presidential system in South Korea. (Following former presidents) they all end up in prison," and lamented, "What kind of international disgrace is this? Is it acceptable for South Korean politics to be like this? This is a serious problem right now."
On the afternoon of the 27th, Professor Jin harshly criticized Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the cabinet on social media, saying, "If the government truly wants stability, it should appoint constitutional court justices according to the will of the majority of the people, but they are holding out," and accused them of "holding the economy hostage and staging a national hostage drama."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
