By Na Jeong-ju
President Moon Jae-in, during a meeting with his aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, made some interesting remarks that show how he perceives the ongoing political conflict over Justice Minister Cho Kuk.
Regarding criticism from political opponents that his appointment of Cho has sharply divided the nation, Moon said he sees what is happening in the country over the justice minister as a positive thing for democracy. He said he disagreed with the opinion that the people are now divided.
"In a democratic society, all people can have their own views over certain issues and express them freely. This is positive," Moon said, referring to the massive pro- and anti-Cho rallies taking place in Seoul.
He noted he has listened to the various opinions of the public "with a grave heart." He then defended Cho and his prosecution reform drive, saying there was a "unified voice" from the public demanding a brand-new prosecution. "The administration and the legislature should respond to this public demand," he said.
Conservative parties criticized Moon over his "distorted" perception of reality. Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) leader Hwang Kyo-ahn claimed Moon was ignoring the people and dividing them for his own political interests. It has been proven that Moon is only the leader of the pro-Moon political forces, not the nation, Hwang argued.
But many liberal politicians, probably including Moon, believe it is the LKP that is dividing the people. It is true that there is a wide discrepancy between liberals and conservatives in their perceptions of reality. In Cho's case, the problem looks more serious because he represents the ideological polarization in Korean society. There have been different interpretations of facts regarding the prosecution's ongoing investigation into the corruption allegations surrounding Cho and his family. Conservatives tend to "demonize" the Cho family, while liberals think they are the victims of a political witch-hunt.
In fact, the ideological confrontation is a deep-rooted problem in Korean society. There have always been clashes of interests between different ideological groups in the nation's political sector. So President Moon was partly right when he said the ongoing political rallies were positive and only natural. For Moon, a former human rights lawyer, the real problem could be stifling free expression of the people and handling political opponents by force.
This is so because Cho could be Moon's proxy in a long-planned war against the prosecution. Conservatives have demanded the immediate resignation of Cho. It has been one month since he was appointed as justice minister, but conservative politicians refuse to call him "minister" to show their lack of respect for him. They are still calling him senior secretary Cho, referring to his former position at Cheong Wa Dae, or just Cho Kuk without using any title, in official meetings.
One day after Moon revealed such views about the rallies, Cho announced a set of sweeping measures to reform the prosecution centered on reducing the power of prosecutors and ensuring their political neutrality.
Cho made it clear that these were only the first in a series of reform measures he would take, saying he is determined to complete the reform because he thinks there will be no second chance to reform the prosecution if it is not done now.
For now, President Moon seems unlikely to back down in his pursuit of this reform. He won't change his perception toward the LKP and its senior members, either. For Moon, they are only the old evils that don't deserve his treatment as political partners. He is seen to be going his own way with the firm belief that what he is doing is to right a wrong.
The author (jj@koreatimes.co.kr) is an editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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Regarding criticism from political opponents that his appointment of Cho has sharply divided the nation, Moon said he sees what is happening in the country over the justice minister as a positive thing for democracy. He said he disagreed with the opinion that the people are now divided.
"In a democratic society, all people can have their own views over certain issues and express them freely. This is positive," Moon said, referring to the massive pro- and anti-Cho rallies taking place in Seoul.
He noted he has listened to the various opinions of the public "with a grave heart." He then defended Cho and his prosecution reform drive, saying there was a "unified voice" from the public demanding a brand-new prosecution. "The administration and the legislature should respond to this public demand," he said.
Conservative parties criticized Moon over his "distorted" perception of reality. Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) leader Hwang Kyo-ahn claimed Moon was ignoring the people and dividing them for his own political interests. It has been proven that Moon is only the leader of the pro-Moon political forces, not the nation, Hwang argued.
But many liberal politicians, probably including Moon, believe it is the LKP that is dividing the people. It is true that there is a wide discrepancy between liberals and conservatives in their perceptions of reality. In Cho's case, the problem looks more serious because he represents the ideological polarization in Korean society. There have been different interpretations of facts regarding the prosecution's ongoing investigation into the corruption allegations surrounding Cho and his family. Conservatives tend to "demonize" the Cho family, while liberals think they are the victims of a political witch-hunt.
In fact, the ideological confrontation is a deep-rooted problem in Korean society. There have always been clashes of interests between different ideological groups in the nation's political sector. So President Moon was partly right when he said the ongoing political rallies were positive and only natural. For Moon, a former human rights lawyer, the real problem could be stifling free expression of the people and handling political opponents by force.
This is so because Cho could be Moon's proxy in a long-planned war against the prosecution. Conservatives have demanded the immediate resignation of Cho. It has been one month since he was appointed as justice minister, but conservative politicians refuse to call him "minister" to show their lack of respect for him. They are still calling him senior secretary Cho, referring to his former position at Cheong Wa Dae, or just Cho Kuk without using any title, in official meetings.
One day after Moon revealed such views about the rallies, Cho announced a set of sweeping measures to reform the prosecution centered on reducing the power of prosecutors and ensuring their political neutrality.
Cho made it clear that these were only the first in a series of reform measures he would take, saying he is determined to complete the reform because he thinks there will be no second chance to reform the prosecution if it is not done now.
For now, President Moon seems unlikely to back down in his pursuit of this reform. He won't change his perception toward the LKP and its senior members, either. For Moon, they are only the old evils that don't deserve his treatment as political partners. He is seen to be going his own way with the firm belief that what he is doing is to right a wrong.
The author (jj@koreatimes.co.kr) is an editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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