"Geum Tae-seop Fails Nomination Amid 'Opposition to Cho Kuk'... Victory for 'Moonppa'?"

Criticism of Homeland, Opposition to Corruption Investigation Office, Geum Tae-seop Fails Nomination... Caught in 'Moonppa' Disfavor?
Political Newcomer Kang Seon-woo "Following Party's Decision Is the Attitude of a Party Member"
Jin Joong-kwon "If Even One Opinion Differs from the Party, Immediate Removal"

Geum Tae-seop, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Geum Tae-seop (53), a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who publicly criticized former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, was ultimately not nominated after losing the party primary for the April 15 general election on the 12th.

Geum's defeat marks the first case in this Democratic Party primary where a first-term incumbent lawmaker lost to an outsider. The victor against Geum was political newcomer Kang Seon-woo (42), a former deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party.

This has sparked speculation that the power of the 'Moonppa' (ardent supporters of President Moon Jae-in) may have been at work. A well-known incumbent lawmaker with no local ties lost to an outsider who campaigned for just over a week.

Right after the primary results were announced on the night of the 12th, former deputy spokesperson Kang posted on her Facebook, saying, "The short campaign period and insufficient time to introduce myself made me worry whether I could overcome the big hurdle of an incumbent lawmaker. I challenged and overcame it. Our Gangseo-gap constituents helped fill my shortcomings together."

However, some argue that simply describing Kang's victory as a 'challenge' and 'overcoming' is insufficient.

It is reported that Kang received over 60% support in both the party members' vote and the general public opinion poll, each accounting for 50% of the total during the short campaign period. This is why the influence of the 'Moonppa' is being mentioned.

Because Geum opposed the appointment of former Minister Cho and expressed opposition to the establishment of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI), some believe that the 'Moonppa' held a grudge against him and effectively 'judged' him out of the race.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk responding to reporters' questions at a press conference held at the National Assembly on the afternoon of September 2 last year [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Geum Tae-seop Opposed Cho Kuk's Appointment and Also Opposed Democratic Party's Official Stance on HOCI

During the Cho Kuk incident, Geum openly expressed his opposition within the Democratic Party. On September 6 last year, during Cho's confirmation hearing, Geum publicly questioned, "Do you have no sincere intention to apologize for the inconsistency between your words and actions so far, and for the deeply hurt feelings of young people caused by your evasive answers?"

He also said, "Although there are many considerations such as the confrontation between camps and political gains and losses, even weighing all these, my heart inevitably leans toward the opposition side where the wounds of young people lie."

At a time when the ruling and opposition parties were sharply divided over Cho's appointment, Geum was the only Democratic Party lawmaker to take a 'no' stance.

Furthermore, on December 30 last year, during the parliamentary vote on the HOCI Act, Geum abstained, contrary to the party's unanimous support. All other Democratic Party lawmakers participated and voted in favor.

Because of his abstention, some ruling party supporters criticized Geum as effectively opposing the HOCI.

At that time, 'Moonppa' supporters flooded Geum's Facebook with comments like "Join the Korean Party" and "Leave the Democratic Party," and protest posts demanding his exclusion from nomination appeared on the Democratic Party's party members' bulletin board.

On December 30 last year, the Act on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials was passed at the plenary session of the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News

In particular, a 'Pro-Moon' (친문) netizen strongly criticized, "If not following the party line is your conviction, then you have no reason to stay in the party. Join the Korean Party that aligns with your views."

Ironically, this logic is the same as the stance recently expressed by former deputy spokesperson Kang.

On the 21st of last month, Kang pointed out on Facebook that Geum's abstention from the HOCI bill vote, which differed from the party line, was inappropriate, saying, "When the party's decision is made, following it is the attitude of a party member and the basic principle of an organization member. However, Mr. Geum did not accept the decision."

She added, "He did not try to persuade party members before or after. There was no apology for the inappropriate attitude and choices he took as a party member. The wounded party members now feel ignored as well."

Summarizing the situation, it can be inferred that the controversy surrounding former Minister Cho and the backlash from Geum's abstention on the HOCI bill contributed to his primary defeat.

Thus, Geum's loss is seen not merely as a nomination failure but as a symbolic phenomenon indicating that 'non-Pro-Moon' (비문) lawmakers like Geum may face disadvantages.

Ultimately, it is argued that the fear of 'Moonppa' has created a negative influence forcing factional politics aligned with the Pro-Moon faction.

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon Photo by Yonhap News

◆ Jin Joong-kwon: "An Unthinkable Situation in a Party Advocating Liberalism"

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized this phenomenon as "a blatant example of the harmful effects of Pro-Moon fandom politics."

On the 13th, Jin posted on his Facebook, "Kang Seon-woo, don't be mistaken. Even if I had put a sign saying 'Protect Cho Kuk' on my trash bin at home and thrown it out, you would have won," he said.

He continued, "(Kang Seon-woo) is someone whose name I haven't even heard before, and unsurprisingly, she is one of the 'Cho Kuk kids.' Even if a stick with 'Protect Cho Kuk' written on it was sent out, the 'stick' would have been nominated," he criticized.

He pointed out, "This is why lawmakers cannot speak harshly to the party. Lawmakers have become mere 130 voting machines without opinions. If they say something different, they get ridiculed by Moon Jae-in's loyalists and end up like this. It's a cultural revolution using Red Guards to enforce a reign of terror that has become normalized."

He added, "This cannot happen in a party that advocates liberalism. If you have even one differing opinion from the party, you are immediately removed. This is the style called 'democratic centralism' in the old activist circles. That totalitarian party culture has swallowed the Democratic Party."

He further stated, "Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party is neither Kim Dae-jung's Democratic Party nor Roh Moo-hyun's Democratic Party. It is merely a huge vested interest group where the pro-Roh faction, revived by the impeachment incident, uses totalitarian party tactics to protect their interests and conceal their corruption."

At the time the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Moon Jae-in attended a concentrated campaign rally held at Ilsan Cultural Park in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of May 4, 2017, appealing for support. Photo by Asia Economy DB

◆ "If You Can't Interpret the 'Moonppa' Phenomenon, You Can't Understand Future Political Phenomena"

Experts analyzed that the 'Moonppa' phenomenon and the Democratic Party's actions have little direct connection, and that 'Moonppa' is a new political phenomenon on its own.

Park Gu-yong, professor of philosophy at Chonnam National University, emphasized, "Moonppa is not a traditional political organization but a 'phenomenon'." Regarding the possibility that 'Moonppa' could negatively affect the Democratic Party in upcoming elections, he said, "The party has its stance and proceeds accordingly, and Moonppa flows in its own way."

Professor Park explained, "Traditional political support groups have someone issuing orders and move in a coordinated manner, but Moonppa lacks this characteristic. If you cannot interpret this Moonppa phenomenon, you will not be able to understand future political phenomena."

Meanwhile, Geum stated, "I lost because I was lacking," expressing acceptance of his primary defeat.

On the morning of the 13th, Geum posted on his Facebook, "Many people helped as if it was their own matter, but I lost because I was lacking," adding, "My dream of re-election is gone, but I will do my best during the remaining term."

He added, "Looking back, the experience of working as a representative of the people and as a Democratic Party lawmaker over the past four years was an honor that cannot be exchanged for anything. I will never forget every moment when I did everything I could."

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