[Summary] "Resign and go into politics" Democratic Party collectively criticizes Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Anti-Dictatorship' remarks

Yoon Suk-yeol "We Must Reject Dictatorship and Totalitarianism Disguised as Democracy"
Democratic Party Criticizes "Prosecution's Work Is 'Investigation,' Not 'Politics'"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is speaking at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held on the 3rd at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's remark that "we must reject dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy" has sparked a heated debate among political circles across party lines. Amid this, the controversy has intensified as the ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, has publicly called for Yoon's resignation.

Seol Hoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, criticized Yoon's 'rejection of dictatorship' remark at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th, saying, "It can be interpreted as an accusation that the Moon Jae-in administration is 'dictatorial and totalitarian.' This is a cunning claim that only omits the subject, the Moon Jae-in administration."

Seol urged, "Now Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol should step down. To call the Moon Jae-in administration dictatorship and totalitarianism while holding the position of Prosecutor General is no different from joining the ranks of dictatorship and totalitarianism. It would be wiser to resign from the Moon Jae-in administration's prosecution and embark on a full-fledged political path."

He added, "Yoon also clashed with his superior, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, while trying to protect his close aide, Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon," questioning, "Does Yoon have the right to mention dictatorship and totalitarianism?"

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min also criticized on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' the same day, saying, "He did not say that the Moon Jae-in administration was dictatorial, but it is dishonest. He assisted the United Future Party's offensive, and a public official should not act like this."

Kim added, "This is 100% political, but the Prosecutor General should not engage in politics," and said, "In the past, when military personnel engaged in politics, South Korea faced great difficulties. When someone with executive power engages in politics, the damage falls on the people."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Byung-won questioned in a Facebook post titled 'Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is now doing 'politics',' "Are we to see the unusual use of terms like 'dictatorship' and 'totalitarianism'?which are weapons in the United Future Party's arsenal and frames?as mere coincidence, given that Yoon himself wrote the greeting?"

Kang emphasized, "The state does not restrict the basic rights of the people, and the separation of powers functions properly, so what is this talk about dictatorship? The core of prosecution reform is, without a doubt, the political neutrality and fairness of the prosecution. The prosecution's job is 'investigation,' not 'politics.'"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is speaking at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held on the 3rd at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Park Ju-min, a lawmaker running for the Democratic Party leadership, criticized on his Facebook on the 4th, saying, "The Prosecutor General's remarks on 'democracy' are a refusal to listen to the voices of the people demanding prosecution reform," adding, "In a democratic country, all public authority must be subject to democratic control, and the prosecution is no exception."

Park stressed the separation of investigation and prosecution within the prosecution, saying, "How many people have had their basic rights violated due to the excessively concentrated prosecutorial power, such as the right to maintain public prosecution?" and "South Korea's democracy is not a democracy for only the top leadership of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

Shin Jeong-hoon, also from the same party, posted on his Facebook the same day a post titled 'Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol who has become a politician,' saying, "Yoon, who has now become a politician, is making headlines. The United Future Party is rejoicing, calling him 'the return of the swordsman,' and conservative media are echoing, saying 'stand up to power,' so the expression 'he has become a politician' is not entirely wrong."

Shin said, "Words like dictatorship and totalitarianism are a kind of buzzword these days. The opposition party and conservative media use them to stigmatize the current government," adding, "The bold idea that 'liberal democracy is based on the rule of law' was very shocking. In a democratic society, what governs the individual is only conscience, and what governs society is common sense. The law is merely a tool to define the boundaries between conscience and common sense."

He continued, "From the perspective of an ordinary person, not a legal expert, words like 'rule of law' sound quite dangerous," and argued, "It feels even more dangerous when people who are not entirely fair and impartial confuse themselves as the embodiment of the law or the law itself."

Earlier, Hwang Un-ha, a Democratic Party lawmaker with a police background, said in a phone interview with JoongAng Ilbo on the 3rd, "It is not right to assign meaning to every sentence of Yoon's remarks. While eradicating corruption is something a Prosecutor General can say, if the prosecution conducts excessive investigations or abuses prosecutorial power, that is a problem," but also pointed out, "Just because the investigation target is the Blue House does not mean excessive investigation is allowed. The restraint and balance of prosecutors should have been mentioned."

Choi Bae-geun, a professor at Konkuk University and former co-representative of the Democratic Party's proportional representation party, the Together Citizens' Party, also posted on his Facebook the same day, saying, "This is a public declaration that the United Future Party's prosecution is a political prosecution," and argued, "If you want to do politics, you must take off the prosecution uniform, so the Democratic Party should impeach Prosecutor General Yoon, and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae should discipline him."

Meanwhile, on the 3rd, at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "Laws are enacted according to the principles of representation and majority rule, but once enacted, laws must be applied and enforced equally to everyone," adding, "The core value of the Constitution, liberal democracy, does not ignore equality and emphasize only freedom. It is true democracy that rejects dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy."

Yoon urged, "Do not ask how the state and the prosecution organization will guarantee your status and future, but constantly ask yourselves how you will work for the people and the country."

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