[AK Radio] Choi Sang-mok: Is He Dreaming of the Presidency?

Acting President Choi Exercises Veto on 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act'
Does Not Clearly Deny Presidential Bid in Foreign Media Interview
Democratic Party Urges Him to "Awaken from the Vain Dream of Becoming a Presidential Candidate"

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as the Minister of Strategy and Finance, exercised his veto power on the 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' on the 14th. This marks the eighth time he has exercised his veto. The reason cited was that the prosecution is already investigating the matter, and the Special Prosecutor Act guarantees an excessive scope of investigation, raising concerns about its unconstitutionality. Instead, Acting President Choi ordered the prosecution to "investigate swiftly and fairly without any sanctuary."

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, fiercely criticized Acting President Choi, saying, "Are you dreaming a vain dream of running for the presidency with the support of far-right forces? I urge you to wake up from this vain dream and delusion as soon as possible." The Democratic Party has long criticized Acting President Choi, citing the possibility of his presidential bid. When he appointed Constitutional Court Justices Jung Gye-seon and Jo Han-chang in December last year but did not appoint candidate Ma Eun-hyuk, there were remarks like, "It seems he is aiming for a conservative camp candidate, judging by his balancing act." Earlier, when Acting President Choi added his acting president tenure to his social media profile and changed his profile picture, he was criticized as "playing president" (Han Jun-ho, Democratic Party Supreme Council member).

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, exercised a veto on the "Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act" on the 14th.

However, the ruling party's view is not entirely warm. There is particular resentment over the appointment of two Constitutional Court justices without consulting the cabinet members. Around government circles, there is speculation that "it seems the Ministry of Strategy and Finance is trying to groom Acting President Choi."

There were also whispers in political circles about Acting President Choi's response to a question regarding a 'presidential run' in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on the 12th. It was unusual for him to give an interview to foreign media, and by not outright denying the possibility but adding the qualifier "for now," many speculated, "Does this mean he has intentions?" The Ministry of Strategy and Finance explained that the interview was part of responding to President Trump's pressure on South Korea, but it failed to dispel doubts about the politically interpretable nature of his answer.

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