Yeo Party's 'Pro-Japan' Counterattack Amidst Opposition's Criticism of Yoon Mi-hyang... Repeated Political Strife

Unified Korea Party Expands Yoon Mi-hyang Allegations Front... Park Sung-joong "Embezzlement and Breach of Trust Suspicion"
Yoon Elected Member and Some in Ruling Party Call It "Unfair Slander" Victim Frame

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] The controversy surrounding Yoon Mi-hyang, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea, which began with the issue raised by comfort women victim grandmother Lee Yong-soo, is escalating into a political conflict as both ruling and opposition parties join in. The opposition parties are continuously attacking Yoon, expanding suspicions, while the ruling party has counterattacked by introducing a new frame of 'pro-Japanese.' The 'political confrontation' seen in the 20th National Assembly is being repeated exactly before the 21st National Assembly even convenes.

Following grandmother Lee Yong-soo's allegations regarding the use of donation funds, the opposition chose an indiscriminate offensive against Yoon. The United Future Party and the Future Korea Party expanded the front beyond pointing out the opaque accounting of donations to the Justice and Memory Foundation, to questioning the source of Yoon's children's overseas study expenses and the possibility of prior knowledge of the 2015 'Korea-Japan Comfort Women Agreement.'

On the 13th, Park Sung-joong, a member of the United Future Party, appeared on CBS radio and raised additional suspicions, saying, "This is not a simple mistake, notation error, or accounting error, but there is a sufficient possibility of planned illegal activity," and "There are circumstances suggesting embezzlement and breach of trust." He added, "Donations from the public and companies, including condolence money, were used in ways completely contrary to the will of the people, which is a fraud against the public," and fiercely criticized Yoon as "a wolf in sheep's clothing." This dragged even the sincerity of the comfort women human rights movement into the realm of political conflict. Furthermore, Won Yoo-chul, leader of the Korea Party, claimed the day before, "A progressive reconsideration is needed regarding what is necessary for Korea-Japan relations to open the future generation."

The ruling party, including Yoon, also began mentioning the 'pro-Japanese frame' and launched a counterattack against the opposition. Yoon said the day before, "The unjust attacks by pro-Japanese forces are intensifying. This is a conspiracy to pour cold water on the truth-finding, apology, and compensation demands regarding comfort women," sharpening her tone. On the same day, through TBS radio, she argued, "I think there is a strong intention to impose some restrictions on my voice," claiming that the criticism directed at her is a political attack.

Some senior ruling party lawmakers also supported Yoon and joined the attack on the opposition. Kim Du-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, argued, "Isn't this an attempt to prevent the Moon Jae-in government from nullifying the humiliating comfort women agreement made by the Park Geun-hye administration? This is not about the truth of the donations but aiming for the disappearance of comfort women." Song Young-gil also said, "Yoon is being attacked by forces rooted in pro-Japanese elements," sharpening his tone.

As the ruling and opposition parties once again divide into camps and expand political disputes, criticism is raised that the confrontation between the two sides seen in the 20th National Assembly might be repeated in the 21st National Assembly. There is concern that the essence of the issue is being forgotten and that the public is being pushed into severe division once again. The 20th National Assembly was criticized for failing to properly address people's livelihoods as the ruling and opposition parties engaged in prolonged political conflicts over sudden issues.

Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, "The current relationship between the ruling and opposition parties is a problem of a structure where the president holds all power and there are effectively only two parties. Because one must destroy the other to survive, throughout the term they pick fights, criticize, exaggerate small matters, and fight with self-serving interpretations," and pointed out, "This situation will repeat in the 21st National Assembly, where the structure has not changed but rather become more solidified."

Park also said, "If Yoon decided to become a member of the National Assembly to do more related work with the Justice and Memory Foundation and gain the public's trust, she should take this opportunity to disclose all details transparently so there is not a single misunderstanding. Instead of complaining about being thoroughly investigated, she should reveal everything transparently to eliminate misunderstandings." Addressing the ruling party, he added, "They should ensure Yoon reveals the truth quickly and create a National Assembly that focuses on COVID-19 and people's livelihoods," emphasizing, "If the political circles deeply intervene in the conflict between grandmother Lee Yong-soo and the Justice and Memory Foundation, it could divide public opinion and create a greater tragedy."

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