Jin Joong-kwon: "Kim Eui-gyeom is shameless... Do real estate, not be a lawmaker"

"Moon Administration Cunningly Suppresses Freedom of the Press Using Zealous Supporters"

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon sharply criticized former Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-gyeom, who is running as an Open Democratic Party proportional representation candidate in the April 15 general election, calling him "a symbolic figure of the collusion between power and the press that must disappear first for media reform."

On the 22nd, Jin posted on his Facebook, saying, "He says he will become a party member and carry out media reform. Instead of being a member, just stick to real estate," adding, "He has quite a thick face. Does he really want to be a member that badly?"

He stated, "The media outlet Kim Eui-gyeom belonged to has recently turned from a pet dog into an 'attack dog' that bites those who have fallen out of favor with power," and urged, "Think about how he teamed up with bad people around power to slander Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl."

He continued, "Kim suddenly blames the 'conservative media.' But in fact, during the impeachment phase, the most active was rather the Chosun Ilbo," pointing out, "When starting to investigate Choi Soon-sil, he once confessed that 'Chosun Ilbo reporters had already swept through like a locust swarm.' They couldn't match Chosun Ilbo's investigative power."

Former Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-gyeom is speaking at a press conference for Open Democratic Party proportional representation candidates held on the stairs in front of the National Assembly main building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

He added, "He should be ashamed. What needs reform more urgently than the conservative media now is the so-called progressive media," and said, "These days, the tendency of 'media servility' has become too severe."

Professor Jin argued, "Freedom of the press in Korea is under threat. If the regime openly threatened it, there would be somewhere to appeal, but the way this regime suppresses press freedom is very cunning," and claimed, "They use fervent supporters."

He continued, "Among Korean journalists, there are hardly any who haven't been 'seasoned' by 'Moonbba' (the ardent supporters of President Moon Jae-in)," explaining, "Small media outlets are collectively hit by subscription cancellations, damaging their management and silencing truthful voices. As a result, even fairly progressive media have fallen into servility to survive."

He said, "The nature of Moonbba is that they cannot tolerate even a single harsh word," and added, "These 'enemies of an open society' who cannot accept dissent have formed a party."

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