Chung Cheongrae: "Yoon Will Be 100% Detained... If You Think of It as Your Home, You Can Manage"

Detained Twice at Seoul Detention Center in the Past
Predicts "Yoon Will Be 100% Detained"

Assemblyman Chung Cheongrae of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has previously referred to himself in several interviews as an "expert on the Seoul Detention Center," expressed confidence that former President Yoon Seokyeol, who is awaiting a pretrial detention warrant hearing, would be "100% detained." He advised, "If you let go of everything and empty your mind, you can manage. Think of it as your home and repent." On the afternoon of July 7, Assemblyman Chung posted on his social networking service (SNS), "Yoon Seokyeol, once again at the crossroads of detention. Warrant hearing on the afternoon of the 9th," and predicted, "He will be 100% detained on July 10." This prediction takes into account the tendency for the results of high-ranking officials' detention hearings to be announced not on the day of the hearing, but in the early morning of the following day.

Assemblyman Jung Chungrae. Photo by Joint Press Corps

He went on to say to former President Yoon, "I know because I've lived in the Seoul Detention Center twice," adding, "If you let go of everything and empty your mind, you can still manage," and continued, "Think of it as your home, repent, and stay healthy." The phrase "I've lived there twice" drew particular attention. Assemblyman Chung, who has an activist background, was incarcerated twice at the Seoul Detention Center during his school years. As a former member of the National Council of Student Representatives, he was first imprisoned in 1988 while serving as chairman of the Special Committee for the Joint Olympic Struggle and the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (Jotongteukwi) at Konkuk University. The following year, on October 13, 1989, he was sentenced to four years in prison and incarcerated again for leading a sit-in occupation at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Korea.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Chung, who is running for the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, continued his campaign for votes in Honam, considered the key battleground, two days before the official candidate registration on July 8. In particular, he raised his voice for an "end to the rebellion," emphasizing that he is the most suitable candidate to become the first ruling party leader under the Lee Jaemyung administration, and appealed for support. On July 8, appearing on KBS Gwangju Radio's "Start of Mudeung's Morning," Chung said, "During the presidential election, I appealed for voters to elect President Lee Jaemyung for the end of the rebellion and the establishment of the Lee Jaemyung democratic government," and added, "We must win the war against the rebellion, which is still not over." He continued, "First, second, and third, it's all about reform and Lee Jaemyung. The success of the Lee Jaemyung administration is the spirit of our times," stressing, "During a time of rebellion and war, the party must be run in a 'wartime system,' which requires strong leadership with high combativeness and fighting spirit."