[Summary] Geum Tae-seop "Silence order on the Jo Guk·Yoon Mi-hyang incident, is a party like this normal?"

Lee Hae-chan "Forced party resolution must be enforced... the lowest level of discipline"

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Controversy within the party is intensifying over the disciplinary action against former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who abstained from voting on the establishment of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HCIO). On the 2nd, former lawmaker Geum requested a retrial, calling the unprecedented unconstitutional disciplinary action, but the party leadership repeatedly emphasized the inevitability and justification of disciplining Geum Tae-seop, clearly stating that there is no plan to withdraw the disciplinary action. Among some party members, there were even calls to expel Geum Tae-seop from the party altogether.

On the same day, former lawmaker Geum directly criticized the Democratic Party in a post on his Facebook page. He strongly condemned the party for remaining silent about Representative Yoon Mee-hyang, a former chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation, who has recently become a subject of controversy.

Regarding his recent disciplinary action, Geum said, "I never thought a political party would do something similar to the prosecution," adding, "Regarding the Cho Kuk incident and the Yoon Mee-hyang incident, the party leadership has imposed a gag order, and lawmakers do not say a word about the issues the public is most interested in. Is this really normal?"

He continued, "In 2006, when I was a prosecutor, I contributed an article titled 'How to Properly Undergo Investigation According to a Sitting Prosecutor' to the Hankyoreh newspaper and received a warning from the Prosecutor General," adding, "At that time, the Prosecutor General said it was wrong for a prosecutor to express personal opinions without reporting to superiors and told reporters, 'If you go alone, you can go fast, but if you go together, you can go far.' It was a stylish saying, but it did not resonate with me at all."

Geum added, "Now, 14 years later, receiving a similar warning from my own party, I feel a mix of emotions," and said, "Controversial issues arise in every era. Politicians must think about them and provide answers."

He further stated, "If different opinions, even if they are wrong, are met not with political responsibility but with legal responsibility (=discipline), the process of forming public opinion disappears. The damage from that is immeasurable."

Geum said, "During the conservative government, the thing we criticized the most was the lack of a forum for public opinion formation. Criticism or dissent was not allowed," adding, "It was the same during the controversy surrounding the HCIO."

He said, "When I was criticized for going against the party line, the most unfair accusation was that 'debates should be fierce, but once a conclusion is reached, it must be followed, which you did not do,'" emphasizing, "What I wanted then was debate. I was not asking for my opinion to be accepted unconditionally."

Geum added, "It is clear that proper debate is not taking place on the HCIO issue. I cannot blindly follow conclusions made without debate. That goes against everything I have learned."

He also said, "Receiving a warning does not cause a big problem," and concluded, "But I just have the same thoughts I had when I wrote about prosecutorial reform and heard the Prosecutor General's remarks. Is our politics really moving forward?"

On the party members' bulletin board, opinions demanding the withdrawal of the disciplinary action appeared, such as "Is this the Together Communist Party?" and "If you discipline someone for opposing the party line, how are we different from the United Future Party?"

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a microphone at a regular press briefing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 2nd. 2020.6.2 Photo by toadboy@yna.co.kr

◆ Lee Hae-chan: "The lowest level of discipline... Mandatory enforcement of the party line is essential"

However, the party leadership drew a line, stating that the warning decision against former lawmaker Geum was an appropriate judgment.

At a press conference on the 2nd, Representative Lee Hae-chan said, "While members can oppose advisory party lines and present their own opinions, mandatory party lines must be enforced," emphasizing the justification for discipline by saying, "The warning from the Ethics Tribunal is the lowest level of discipline."

Meanwhile, some Democratic Party members are even arguing on social media that Geum should be expelled from the party. On the Facebook group 'Democratic Party 1 Million Members Gathering,' intense reactions such as "Expel (Geum Tae-seop), he's useless" poured in.

When posts criticizing Geum appeared, other party members strongly condemned them, saying, "A retrial request? Go wear pink clothes for Ahn Cheol-soo or hang out with (Lee) Eon-ju. The Democratic Party does not need useless scoundrels like you."

Another member said, "Discipline is not the answer. He should have been expelled. Now that he is requesting a retrial, just expel him. We don't need those who shake the party," expressing anger.

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon speaking at the discussion titled "Talking about the 21st General Election! Lost Conservative Politics, What is the Solution?" hosted by Future United Party lawmakers Yoo Ui-dong and Oh Shin-hwan at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News.

◆ Jin Joong-kwon: "A corrupt 586 activist organization protecting vested interests"

As controversy over Geum's disciplinary action spreads, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon strongly criticized the party in a post on his Facebook page, saying, "It has long stopped being a liberal party that respects individual freedom and rights."

He pointed out, "The only decision-making system known to activists from the movement faction is the so-called 'democratic centralism.' Therefore, they think it is natural to punish lawmakers who voice opinions different from the party."

He added, "So lawmakers end up as mere rubber stamps," sarcastically saying, "130 rubber stamps are already excessive, and they brought in 50 more. Is it really necessary to operate 180 rubber stamps?"

He continued, "Anyway, the Democratic Party nowadays is a party where someone like Geum Tae-seop not only fails to be nominated but also gets disciplined, and where someone like Pyo Chang-won feels it is impossible to maintain conscience while serving as a lawmaker."

Jin shared Geum's post criticizing the Democratic Party's silence on the Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang incidents, calling it "a corrupt 586 activist organization protecting vested interests," and criticized, "They only read old activist pamphlets and have never properly studied liberalism and democracy."

Earlier, the Democratic Party Ethics Tribunal issued a 'warning' to former lawmaker Geum on the 25th of last month. It judged that Geum's abstention from voting on the HCIO violated party rules 'Article 14 of Party Regulation No. 7' as an act against the party line.

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