Fair approach needed for both Lee Jae-myu... > 정치기사 | politics

While the People’s Power Party is focusing on the first conviction of Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea for violating the Public Official Election Act, it is pointed out that they are ignoring the suspicion of President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wifes involvement in the nomination of elections. Public opinion may worsen if the Special Prosecutor Act, which includes the suspected intervention in the nomination, is rejected by the National Assembly in a revote following Yoons veto.


“A task force TF will be set up to monitor the normal and expeditious progress of Lees trial to prevent the trial process from being distorted,” Han Dong-hoon, leader of PPP, said at the party’s Supreme Council on November 18, adding, ”The trial of Lee on the 25th Lees first trial for perjury is not the end. The convictions will continue to come,” he said.

On the other hand, Han has remained silent on the allegations of President Yoon and his wife’s involvement in the nomination of elections since his remarks on November 8, a day after Yoon’s press conference. He said on his social media, “The president has apologized for the current situation and promised the people about personnel reshuffling, suspension of Mrs. Kims activities, and unconditional appointment of a special inspector general.”

While the ruling party remained silent, suspicions surrounding the President couple snowballed. Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party who was the partys leader during the last presidential election, accused Yoon of requesting the nomination of Kim Tae-woo, former chief of Gangseo-gu in Seoul and mayor of Pohang, for the June 1, 2022 local and parliamentary by-elections. Contrary to Yoons explanation, evidence that he continued to be in contact with Myung Tae-gyun, a key figure in the alleged nomination intervention, after the presidential primaries is also being piled up through the release of Myungs recordings by the Democratic Party of Korea.

It is unclear whether the prosecution’s investigation will allow the ruling party to clear the suspicions. There are also concerns that the ruling party will feel burdened if suspicions are raised that the investigation is being delayed or scaled back. The Changwon District Prosecutors Office has already been criticized for assigning Myungs case to an investigative division without a prosecutor for nine months after receiving the case.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office has previously dropped a series of Kims cases, including the Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation case, leading to public distrust. As a result, a poll conducted by Korea Gallup last month from November 15-17 showed 63 percent of the public in favor of introducing a Special Prosecutor Act. Some have pointed out that the recommendation of a special inspector general by the People’s Power Party instead of a special prosecutor act would not be a solution to the allegation of intervention in nominations.

President Yoon is expected to exercise the right to demand reconsideration of the Kim Special Prosecutor Act after returning from his Latin American tour on November 21. If the bill is rejected by the ruling party in the 28th National Assembly vote, it could backfire on the ruling party. A conviction in Lees first trial for perjury on the 25th could accelerate public dissent, as the case of Lee is compared to the unresolved judicial risk of Kim.

“There will be a lot of arguments that since the court ruled harshly against Mr. Lee, it should be handled similarly against Ms. Kim,” said one pro-Han Dong-hoon official.



Lee Bora, Min Seo-young, Yoo Seol-hee

경향신문 주요뉴스

· [단독]명태균 “준석이 사무실 기어 올라가…” 김영선 최고위원 청탁 정황
· 산양유 ‘100%’ 라더니 실제로는 1.5%···가짜 분말 18억어치 판 간 큰 일당
· 에일리, 최시훈과 내년 4월 결혼···“고맙고 든든한 사람”
· ‘사실무근’ 유동성 위기설에···롯데그룹은 왜 출렁였나
· 김기현, ‘당원게시판’ 논란에 “한동훈 대표 가족들이 쓴 댓글인지만 밝히면 될 일”
· 우상호, 이재명 판결에 “판사 감정 개입…비명계, 아무도 움직이지 못할 것”
· 직업학교에서 벌어진 무차별 흉기 살인
· 윤 대통령 장모 최은순씨, 성남 땅 ‘차명투자’ 27억원 과징금 대법서 확정
· 창원시 공무원 ‘도시계획 간담회’ 보고서에 ‘명태균’ 이름 있었다
· “한강 프러포즈는 여기서”…입소문 타고 3년 만에 방문객 10배 뛴 이곳은?

▶ 매일 라이브 경향티비, 재밌고 효과빠른 시사 소화제!
▶ 짧게 살고 천천히 죽는 ‘옷의 생애’를 게임으로!

ⓒ경향신문www.khan.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지