Joo Ho-young: "'The President's Tragedy' Must End Now... Moon, Please Begin Healing the Era's Wounds"

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, is attending the elected members' workshop held at the National Assembly on the 22nd and delivering a greeting./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, said, "The misfortune of former President Roh Moo-hyun is the pain of our era." Referring to the ongoing judicial proceedings against former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, he also emphasized, "The 'tragedy of the president' must end now."

On the 22nd, Joo stated on Facebook, "President Roh wanted to be the eldest brother of a new era, but he ended up as the youngest of the old era. He was crushed by the political practices of a worn-out era and met his fate," expressing these thoughts.

Joo will attend the memorial service for former President Roh on the 23rd at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongnam. It will be the first time in five years for an opposition party leader to attend.

He evaluated, "Former President Roh approached state affairs with an open mind for national interest. Despite fierce opposition from his support base, he carried out the dispatch of troops to Iraq and decisively pushed forward the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Personally, I remember him as a modest person who liked open and informal discussions."

He continued, "My heart is heavy as I go down to Bongha Village. The judicial proceedings against former Presidents Park and Lee are still ongoing," and questioned, "Shouldn't the 'tragedy of the president,' where every president without exception becomes unhappy, end now?"

Joo said, "We cannot talk about national unity while leaving the pain of the people who loved and supported the two presidents unattended," and added, "I hope President Moon Jae-in will step forward boldly to embrace and heal the pain of the era."

Joo's remarks seem closely related to the recent discussions in political circles about pardoning former President Park. Moon Hee-sang, Speaker of the National Assembly whose term expires on the 29th of this month, also said at his retirement press conference on the 21st, "There should be considerable consideration for former presidents. It is time not to be afraid of pardons."

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