Does anyone else see the irony of a prominent North Korean defector elected to the National Assembly questioning the Unification Minister on his past communist background?:
Rep. Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and current lawmaker of the conservative United Future Party, at Lee’s confirmation hearing shows off a photograph of himself at a press conference following his defection to the South, arguing it proves he has renounced North Korea’s Communist ideology in contrast to Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young. [YONHAP]
Opposition lawmakers on Thursday bombarded Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young with questions about his ideological leanings during a National Assembly confirmation hearing that was largely devoid of policy discussions over the deteriorating state of inter-Korean relations.
The fiercest attacks came from Rep. Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and defector elected as a South Korean district representative in April. Thae led the conservative United Future Party’s (UFP) charge against Lee, accusing him of not renouncing his supposed former Communist beliefs.
Lee was a founding member and first chair of Jeondaehyup, or the National Council of Student Representatives, an influential left-wing student union active in the struggle against South Korea’s military junta throughout the 1980s.
The group’s prominent pro-unification activities, like its dispatch of a student delegation to Pyongyang in violation of domestic law in 1989, led many on the right to accuse Jeondaehyup of being a pro-North organization, though many of the group’s leaders, including Lee and former Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, have since entered the mainstream of South Korea’s liberal establishment.
After stating that he officially renounced North Korea’s Juche state ideology after defecting to the South, Thae argued, without evidence, that he was taught in the North that members of Jeondaehyup recited anti-American slogans in front of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung’s portrait every morning.
Lee denied that he ever harbored a belief in Juche, responding that such attempts to vet a candidate’s ideology belonged to the playbook of North Korea or South Korea’s past authoritarian governments, and were not appropriate in modern South Korean democracy.
“In the North such things like ideological defection may be forced upon [people] but in the South, ideology and morality are not imposed,” Lee said. “That [Thae] has asked me about my ideological beliefs shows [Thae] still lacks an understanding of democracy in the South.”
I hope no one is surprised that the Moon administration is busy removing private sector hires from the government and replacing them with bureaucrat allies:
The Gwanfia is back, though it may never have left to begin with.
It seems that more senior bureaucrats than ever are parachuting into top posts at government-controlled institutions since the start of the Moon Jae-in administration.
Gwanfia is a portmanteau of the Korean word gwanryo, meaning “bureaucrat,” and Mafia.
The latest is the appointment of former Blue House economic chief Yoon Jong-won as the chief executive of the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK).
Almost all positions filled during the Park Geun-hye administration by executives from the private sector are now held by bureaucrats.
The heads of three major state-run banks – Korea Development Bank (KDB), Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank), Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) – and the leaders of the major financial associations – the General Insurance Association of Korea (GIAK), the Credit Finance Association and the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (Kodit) – had been selected from the private sector.
President Moon’s political opposition is going to play out the Cho Kuk saga as long as they can for maximum political benefit prior to next’s year’s national assembly elections:
Cho Kuk
“South Korea’s democracy is dead. We plan to use all available cards responding to President Moon’s nomination of Cho to the justice minister position including a plan to team up with minor opposition parties to submit requests to name a special investigator to look into Cho’s alleged corruption and nepotism allegations,” a spokesman at the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said in a party commentary after the President’s confirmation of Cho, Monday afternoon.
The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (BMP) said it will discuss action plans with the LKP. “Floor leaders of the country’s major political parties were discussing detailed plans for the next Assembly sessions, but I received a short phone call from senior presidential secretary for state affairs Kang Ki-jung in which he said President Moon appointed Cho as justice minister as planned. It’s simply unacceptable. We will do what we can do but other lawmakers oppose the President’s decision,” BMP floor leader Rep. Oh Shin-hwan said during a hurriedly arranged party meeting.
It is actually good politics to keep Cho Kuk in the headlines because this is what his current poll ratings are:
In a poll by local pollster Realmeter released last week, 56.2 percent of South Koreans respondents were opposed to Cho becoming justice minister, while 40.1 percent were in favor.
The ruling DPK are facing a key election next year, which would be critical for Moon to avoid “lame duck” status. The South Korean leader is facing challenges to diffuse an uncertain outlook for the country’s export-dependent economy, which this year is projected to expand at the weakest pace in more than a decade.
However, with Cho Kuk being appointed, I expect we will start seeing less of him in the headlines and this will just fade away down the memory hole like the Moon administration expects it too.
For example does anyone mention Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-hwa’s ethical lapses any more? It will be the same thing with Cho Kuk.
Cho Kuk, when asked if he has turned away from Sanomaeng (Socialist Workers League of Korea), which called for armed revolt to overthrow #SouthKorea's liberal democracy, said socialism is necessary in South Korea. Moon sill wants to appoint him.https://t.co/Wo039glAEO
If someone created a fictional character–a corrupt millionaire financier, anti-free speech "liberal" socialist, self-absorbed law professor who failed the Bar masquerading as an arbiter of justice/rights aspiring to be Justice Minister–would you laugh or cry? #Life crushes #Art
Here is what Chung Jae-jeong, professor emeritus at the University of Seoul has to say about the current trade dispute between Korea and Japan.
Q: Since the Supreme Court ruling, has Seoul given the impression that it may be disregarding the 1965 pact?
A: There is a high possibility that Japan takes this view. Seoul says that it is addressing the insufficiencies of the 1965 pact, but from Japan’s point of view, all issues regarding compensation were completely resolved with the deal. The Korean government has only said it respects the ruling, and has not given clear explanations about the discrepancy between the 1965 pact and the Supreme Court ruling. There has not been any statement from the foreign minister or the President declaring once and for all that Seoul does not deny the pact. If this position was declared through an official channel, it could help to assuage the considerable level of concern Japan has. This will facilitate negotiations on how to resolve the current disputes. Abe and the Japanese foreign minister have continued to demand Korea “keep state-to-state promises and treaties.”
Q: If the President were to make such a declaration, the Korean public may see it as a humiliation and get the impression that we are succumbing to Japan’s demands.
A: I think we as a country have passed a stage where we approach state-to-state conflicts emotionally. They should be handled with professional judgment and knowledge.
Professor Chung recommends that a third party arbitrator be used to resolve this issue, but this is whole is issue is about driving anti-Japanese sentiment for future elections not resolving it, so the Moon administration will continue to down play the 1965 Treaty.
#MoonJaein nominated Inspector Yoon Seok-ryul, who viciously went after Moon's political opponents, to the post of chief prosecutor. https://t.co/Jgkn1APjBK
Seoul City Mayor spends budget like water for populist policy, including "free cash" to youths, & raises taxes. So does Gyeonggi governor Lee Jae-myeong. So does Moon Jae-in. Why do they so doggedly pursue what Maduro has done in Venezuela? https://t.co/VEF5EdT6aV
It appears the ROK foreign ministry is not very good at keeping state secrets:
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under fire once again for an ethical lapse among its staff after a diplomat leaked information from a telephone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Cheong Wa Dae and the ministry are considering legal action against the 54-year-old diplomat for allegedly leaking the confidential information to Rep. Khang Hyo-shang, a lawmaker from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).
The diplomat, working at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., is suspected of sharing some key details of the Moon-Trump phone conversation with his high school alumni Khang, the day after the two leaders held talks.
The presidential office said the diplomat admitted to the incident.
“The telephone conversations between leaders of two countries are identified and categorized as the third-highest level of state diplomatic secrecy,” a senior presidential aide told reporters in a briefing, Thursday.
This is probably not the economic advice that most Koreans want to hear, that they need to leave their country and move to Southeast Asia:
Kim Hyun-chul
President Moon Jae-in’s economic adviser Kim Hyun-chul resigned Tuesday after drawing public ire for saying that young, unemployed Korean language graduates who can’t find a job here should stop blaming “Hell Joseon” and move to Southeast Asia to become Korean language teachers.
Hell Joseon is a term often used to describe how tough Korea can be on its students and graduates looking for jobs amid fierce competition.
Kim, who also teaches international marketing at the Seoul National University Graduate School of International Studies, made the remark on Monday in a speech to local CEOs at a luncheon hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul. The gathering was meant to promote the New Southern Policy, Moon’s ambitious vision of expanding Korea’s influence in Southeast Asia with the promise of treating members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as diplomatic and economic partners as important to Korea as the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
![Rep. Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and current lawmaker of the conservative United Future Party, at Lee's confirmation hearing shows off a photograph of himself at a press conference following his defection to the South, arguing it proves he has renounced North Korea's Communist ideology in contrast to Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young. [YONHAP]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2020/07/23/93cbea85-2dbb-46bb-a1c4-03667aa36e0e.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
