Song Young-gil on Yoon Mi-hyang Allegations: "There Must Be Minimum Respect for the Life of a Civic Activist"

"Will Meet Chairman Lee Nak-yeon Soon to Finalize Party Leader Candidacy"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated regarding the allegations surrounding Yoon Mi-hyang, the Democratic Party's elected representative, that "there should be at least a minimum respect for the life of a civic activist."

On the morning of the 19th, Song appeared on CBS Radio and said about the Yoon Mi-hyang incident, "There is a need for transparency in accounting issues, but there should be at least a minimum respect for the life of a civic activist who has fought for the comfort women issue."

He said, "The Chosun Ilbo and other newspapers wrote that 75.8 million won was paid to manage the healing center, so I thought it was an annual salary," adding, "Upon closer inspection, it was not that, but 1.5 million won per month for six years, and recently 500,000 won per month. It's a misunderstanding."

He also said, "I wonder if someone who received that could have been found to lovingly manage that house in a container box," emphasizing, "But it pains me that the media uses headlines to lead people to a negative perception."

He further criticized, saying, "The Chosun Ilbo compared the comfort women who served during the war to prostitution and sex work," and added, "During the May 18 incident, newspapers like JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Dong-A Ilbo acted like parrots for the martial law command, reporting that Gwangju had become a lawless zone. They need to reflect on that."

When asked about calls for Yoon's resignation or expulsion, he said, "I think each issue needs to be explained and reviewed," and added, "Those who were grateful for these efforts (to resolve the comfort women issue) are the Justice and Memory Foundation."

Song also revealed that he plans to meet with Lee Nak-yeon, the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Management Committee Chair, to decide whether to run for party leader.

When asked if he had decided to challenge for party leadership, he replied, "The situation is fluid," and said, "Since Lee's candidacy is not yet confirmed, I am watching the situation a bit more."

When asked, "If Lee runs for party leader, will you not run?" he answered, "I plan to meet with the Prime Minister soon. We will talk together and try to organize the details."

He also said, "As he himself mentioned, I think he will soon make a decision to increase predictability."

Regarding the question about opinions to revise the rule separating party leadership and presidential candidacy because Lee, as a presidential candidate, would have to step down as party leader before the presidential election year, he said, "I have not heard anyone say that. It seems difficult."

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