There is a new pattern in the way Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung answers reporters' questions: he doesn't answer questions, but rather asks reporters about issues that might hurt the people's power. When asked about the "money bag allegations," he asked, "What about the issue of recording Supreme Council member Thae Yong-ho?" And so on. There is also criticism within the party over the way it responds.
Only Yun Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man asked, "What about Tae Yong-ho?"
Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Representative Lee Jae-myung met with reporters at the National Assembly, and reporters continued to ask questions after lawmakers Yun Kwan-seok (3rd term, Incheon Nam-dong) and Lee Sung-man (first term, Incheon Bupyeong-gap) announced their withdrawal from the party. Lee initially reiterated that "they made up their mind."
When asked by reporters, "(Lawmakers Yoon and Lee) were in the position that they could not accept leaving the party unconditionally, did the party make any suggestions?" Lee replied, "What about the recording issue of Assemblyman Thae Yong-ho (People's Power)? It appears to be a clear criminal act," he said, reiterating something unrelated to the question. It can be seen as an attack on the issue of the power of the people with a deliberate verbal response. You could say it's a way of talking back.
When asked if "there was an opinion that he should be removed after the prosecutor's investigation," he replied, "The prosecutor's office is investigating the Tae Yong-ho case? They said it was a mandatory investigation." After all, he replied by asking about the transcript of Supreme Council member Thae Yong-ho.
The "issue of recording Supreme Council Member Thae Yong-ho," which Chairman Lee brought up, is an issue that arose in a report by MBC on 1 January. The main content of the MBC report is that Lee Jin-bok, chief of political affairs in the office of the president, asked Supreme Council Member Thae to make a statement defending the ROK-Japan relationship by bringing up the nomination issue. Since the report, the wave has been spreading.
The MDP is calling for a thorough investigation, calling it "political interference by the president's office," and Representative Lee Jae-myung's response seems to be in the same effect. In other words, Mr. Lee appears to have in mind the provisions of Article 9(2) of the Public Offices Election Act, which states that "a prosecutor or police official shall promptly and impartially investigate acts that are deemed to have violated the provisions of this Act" regarding the violation of the duty of neutrality by public officials.
The MDP continues to raise suspicions about Thae's transcript, citing the case of former President Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to two years in prison for her involvement in the nomination. In particular, Suh pressed for a thorough investigation, saying, "[The indictment of former President Park] was the Seoul Central District Prosecutor at the time, and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon was the third deputy chief prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutor."
Representative Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea's Dong Tong Answer Speech or Reclaim Speech can be understood as a reiteration of the argument of Supreme Council Member Seo Yong-kyo. Let's summarize the questions and answers with the reporter.
▷ Reporter: Yun Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man voluntarily withdrew, but was it true that the representative personally persuaded them?
▶ CEO Lee: You made your decision.
Reporter: Is it true that you said thank you for your decision?
▶ Representative Lee Jae-myung: Since you have made a decision for the party, please judge it that way.
Reporter: "(Lawmakers Yoon and Lee) were in the position that they could not accept leaving the party unconditionally, but did the party make any suggestions?
▶ Representative Lee Jae-myung: What about the recording of our Congressman Thae Yong-ho? It appeared to be a clear criminal act.
Reporter: Was there an opinion that you should leave the party after the prosecutor's investigation is underway?
▶ CEO Lee Jae-myung: The prosecutor's office is investigating the Tae Yong-ho case? Originally, it was said to be a mandatory investigation. Thank you.
Repeated 'ask and revert' answers
Representative Lee's verbal response has increased dramatically in recent years, mainly whenever a question about the "money bag allegations" is asked, he dodges the question with these answers and roundly attacks the power of the people.
On 24 March, after Song Yong-gil's press conference in Paris, reporters asked, "Do you plan to meet Song when he returns home?" and "How did you see Song's press conference?" I was asked, "What is going on with Congressman Kim Hyun-ah? Don't you know?" I asked. At this time, I was talking about Kim Hyun-a, a former member of the National Assembly of the People's Power.
At this time, Lee's question was related to a report by the alternative media "Newstapa," which reported that former lawmaker Kim Hyun-a is under police investigation for illegally raising political funds. It seems that Representative Lee wanted to say that the power of the people is also not free from the "money bag" allegations.
"What about Kim Hyuna?" The next day, Lee was asked by reporters about Song's departure ban. At this time, I also asked and gave a recurring answer, but instead of former lawmaker Kim Hyun-ah, I changed to former lawmaker Park Soon-ja. "What about the investigation of Rep. Park Soon-ja? Maybe you're not interested."
Park was arrested and charged in November last year for allegedly accepting money and valuables under the pretext of nominating a city councilor ahead of the June 6 local elections last year. Representative Lee Jae-myung appears to have tried to remind us of the people's power corruption case.
What is the people's reaction to the opposition?
In response to Representative Lee Jae-myung's response, the People's Power is counterattacking the MDP and Representative Lee, highlighting that there is a problem with "morality" and "self-governing ability."
First of all, Lee asked, "What about Kim Hyun-ah?" After responding, the People's Power Party Affairs Audit Committee launched an investigation into former lawmaker Kim Hyun-a. The party-level fact-finding investigation appears to be aimed at dispelling allegations of corruption within the party about a year before the general elections and establishing a differentiated image of resolutely responding to corruption issues unlike the MDP. It's also meant to be aimed at the Democratic Party.
Another former lawmaker mentioned by Representative Lee, former lawmaker Park Soon-ja, was already forced to leave the party at the end of December last year. It's not already part of the people's power.
Yoo Sang-beom, chief spokesman of the People's Power, said on 1 March, "We are going to ask the Party Affairs Audit Committee to conduct a fact-finding investigation into the allegations of corruption (former lawmaker Kim Hyun-a). Former lawmaker Park Soon-ja has already been forced to leave the party. Now let me ask again. What about Lee Jae-myung?" I shot back.
Unlike former lawmakers Kim Hyun-a and Park Soon-ja, who were targeted for "corruption," Supreme Council Member Thae Yong-ho was targeted by the President's Office more than Supreme Council Member Thae due to the "controversy over the president's alleged involvement in the nomination."
Representative Kim Ki-hyun reportedly asked the Central Party Ethics Committee to review it in conjunction with other existing cases in which disciplinary proceedings have been initiated. The party's ethics committee has voted to initiate disciplinary action against Supreme Council Member Thae, who has caused scandal with various narratives, such as his remarks related to April 12, and has also ordered that the "controversy over the president's office interference in the nomination" and the "splintering political donations" be investigated.
Among Chairman Lee Jae-myung's questions and answers, the question that puzzles the people's power the most is, "What about Thae Yong-ho?" It seems to be.
(The rest of the story is from the soup)