"Reminds Me of the Thoroughly Shaken Cho Kuk" Yoon Mee-hyang Controversy, Is It Turning into a Second 'Cho Kuk Incident'?

Allegations of Misuse of Donations by Justice Memory Solidarity
Yoon Mi-hyang: "Reminds Me of Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk... Conservative Media and United Future Party's Conspiracy"
Civic Party on Allegation Reports: "Denial of Yoon's Activities... Serious Insult"
"Attack Has Gone Too Far" vs "Disclosure of Donation Usage" - Intensifying Political Conflict Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

Yoon Mi-hyang, Elected Member of the Democratic Citizens' Party
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the controversy surrounding Yoon Mi-hyang (former director of the Justice and Memory Foundation), elected from the Together Citizens' Party, intensifies?amid allegations of misappropriation of donations by the Justice and Memory Foundation and questions about the source of her daughter's study abroad funds in the U.S.?the ruling and opposition parties are clashing fiercely. Some view this as potentially escalating into a second "Cho Kuk incident."

The Cho Kuk incident refers to the intense conflict between progressives and conservatives surrounding former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was accused of admission fraud and private equity fund scandals.

Yoon claims that the current controversy is a conspiracy orchestrated by conservative media and the United Future Party. Consequently, there are concerns that the various allegations against Yoon might escalate into severe partisan conflict similar to the Cho Kuk incident.

On the morning of the 12th, Yoon posted on her Facebook, saying, "I am reminded of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk," and asserted, "The attacks against me are conspiracies created by conservative media and the United Future Party (미래통합당, Miroetonghapdang)."

Yoon further mentioned a reporter by name from a certain media outlet, stating, "They started investigating the music students at UCLA, where my daughter attends. They asked whether my daughter rode in a car, how she spent money, and whether she was out playing around."

She added, "I am not afraid. In a country where pro-Japanese collaborators have not been purged, I understand this as a fate that someone who has chosen the thorny path of justice, women’s rights, peace, and human rights must endure, and I will face it with confidence."

Yoon also refuted some of the claims reported by the media. She said, "My daughter does not have a car. She lives in a dormitory, and the tuition and dormitory fees have already been disclosed in detail through the Together Citizens' Party."

She continued, "One broadcaster reportedly asked me if it was true that there was a driver for the limousine during my time with the organization. There is no limousine. Even when I traveled nationwide for solidarity and educational activities, I drove my own car myself," she rebutted.

Statue of a Girl. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the groups raising suspicions against her, she called them "unjust attacks by pro-Japanese forces."

She said, "They are trying to trample on 30 years of human rights activism achievements and pour cold water on the efforts to uncover the truth about comfort women and demand apologies and compensation in the 21st National Assembly," adding, "I will stand against the United Future Party, which concluded humiliating comfort women agreements without even apologizing. I will stand against the pro-Japanese media that have not shed their servile mentality of collaborating with Imperial Japan."

She added, "The stronger the unjust attacks by pro-Japanese forces become, the more my determination toward peace and human rights will rise like a mountain."

The political sphere is engaged in a fierce debate over the various allegations surrounding Yoon.

The opposition party immediately demanded the disclosure of the Justice and Memory Foundation’s donation usage, while the ruling party countered by saying she is under attack by "pro-Japanese forces."

On the 11th, the Together Citizens' Party promptly refuted the allegations against Yoon. Chief spokesperson Je Yoon-kyung explained, "The Justice and Memory Foundation respected the grandmothers’ wishes regarding the receipt of consolation money as much as possible, and Yoon continuously argued that the receipt of consolation money was not the grandmothers’ fault but a problem caused by the Park Geun-hye administration, which forced them to accept the money."

She added, "Since the comfort women agreement was a hasty and humiliating deal, testimonies from various parties differ, and some issues may have arisen during the process. However, to disparage and deny Yoon’s entire activities based on that is a serious insult."

Supportive opinions for Yoon have also emerged within the ruling party. On the 12th, Democratic Party lawmaker Min Byung-doo posted on his Facebook, saying, "The attacks on the Justice and Memory Foundation, which made a groundbreaking turning point in the history of global human rights movements by directly addressing wartime women’s human rights issues, have gone too far," and pointed out, "The claim that donations were not used for the grandmothers of Wednesday Demonstrations stems from a misunderstanding of the foundation’s founding purpose."

Lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan also posted on his Facebook under the title "Supporting the Justice and Memory Foundation and Yoon Mi-hyang," stating, "Using Grandma Lee Yong-soo’s press conference as an excuse, conservative forces continue to attack the Justice and Memory Foundation and Yoon Mi-hyang. They are aiming not at the 'truth about donations' but at the 'disappearance of comfort women.'"

Meanwhile, the opposition party pressured for the disclosure of donation usage. On the same day, Kim Yong-tae of the United Future Party appeared on TV Chosun’s 'News Parade' and said, "Since the Justice and Memory Foundation’s only income is donations, it is natural to explain how the donations were used. They claim there is a conspiracy because they have acted righteously," and criticized, "If the Justice and Memory Foundation made mistakes, they should admit and correct them. Repeated lying leads to the Ripley syndrome. They should cleanly uphold the grandmothers’ wishes and tell the truth."

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