The Democratic Party Excluded: Professor and Kyunghyang Newspaper Reported for Critical Column

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] On the 13th, the Democratic Party of Korea filed a complaint against a professor who wrote a column criticizing the party and Kyunghyang Shinmun, which published the column.

Im Miri, a research professor at the Korean History Research Institute at Korea University, contributed a column titled "Except for the Democratic Party" to Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 28th of last month. The column stated that conflicts between Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, as well as recent political strife between the ruling and opposition parties, have deepened the public's political aversion. It said, "While the Liberty Korea Party is not without responsibility, the greater responsibility lies with the Democratic Party of Korea. Let's create a party that considers the people's sentiments even after the election. Therefore, I propose: let's vote 'except for the Democratic Party.'"

In response, the Democratic Party viewed the column's title and conclusion, which urged "let's vote except for the Democratic Party," as a violation of election law and filed complaints against Professor Im, who wrote the column, and the editor responsible for the column at Kyunghyang Shinmun.

Professor Im also announced on her Facebook on the same day that she had been reported to the prosecution, arguing, "The primary purpose of election law is to prevent corruption and overheating. Election law violations targeting a specific party, rather than the outcome of a particular candidate, cannot be established."

Referring to former President Roh Moo-hyun's remarks urging "overwhelming support for the Open Uri Party," she said, "How is my statement to vote except for the Democratic Party any different? Is it that election campaigns are allowed, but campaigns for defeat are not?"

She continued, "Why did a party, which until recently was led by a former judge, file a complaint? It must be intended to intimidate or cause inconvenience, and it succeeded," adding, "But I am angry and sad. I am upset by the Democratic Party's behavior, and I feel sorrowful about the current level of Korean democracy, more than 30 years after democratization in 1987."

Finally, she emphasized, "Right now, I hope for the complete defeat of the Democratic Party," and "So that we can properly rewrite the history of democracy since democratization."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.