Park Gyuntaek: "It is excessive to harshly criticize 'parental privilege'"
Calls for cautious judgment on Kim Minseok's alleged illegal political funds
Emphasizes the need to avoid political retaliation in special counsel investigations
Park Gyuntaek, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the allegations of "parental privilege" surrounding Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok, saying, "You can't really criticize parents for helping their children."
On June 16, during an appearance on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show," Park stated, "If you want to criticize something as 'parental privilege,' it should be when a parent uses their position to gain unfair benefits, resulting in a victim." He continued, "If my child brings a good legislative proposal, I believe I could sponsor it, and if they participate in volunteer work, of course I could offer congratulatory remarks. As long as no one is harmed or unfairly taken advantage of, it is excessive to harshly criticize this or claim it disqualifies someone from being Prime Minister."
Regarding the allegations that Kim Minseok was involved in financial transactions with an illegal political fund provider, Park said, "He is publicly expressing his position on various suspicions through social media, so I think it is appropriate to watch the situation and make a judgment if any problematic issues arise." He added, "I also think it is somewhat excessive to criticize the fact that he wrote an IOU and borrowed money for a personal debt. If the money were illicit or something to be hidden, he would not have written an IOU and would have just borrowed it privately."
Park also commented on the special counsel investigation into Kim Keonhee, the wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, saying, "The Deutsch Motors case is so clear that the entire nation knows why it is a guilty verdict." He added, "Since Special Counsel Min Junggi is a former judge, I think it would be sufficient to review whether there are any legal or evidentiary shortcomings and to supplement the investigation as needed."
He responded to claims, mainly from the People Power Party, that the special counsel is politically biased, saying, "If the Lee Jaemyung administration intended to conduct political retaliation, it would not have entrusted the case to an independent special counsel. Instead, it would have appointed someone they trust as the chief prosecutor or head of the National Investigation Headquarters and carried out a retaliatory investigation." He continued, "Our administration has made it clear that it will focus solely on its core responsibilities, such as livelihood issues, diplomacy, and security, and, in fact, this demonstrates a renunciation of political retaliation."
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