"Get It Together" They Fight 'Munppa' Almost Every Day [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Jin Joong-kwon, Seo Min, and Other Outside Speakers... Daily Criticism of the 'Moon Jae-in Government' via SNS
Bitter Words Not Only for the Ruling Party but Also for the Opposition

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon (left) and President Moon Jae-in (right). Former Professor Jin voices criticism of various policies of the Moon Jae-in administration daily through his Facebook.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] There are individuals who, not as lawmakers but as scholars or experts, continuously criticize the Moon Jae-in administration. Among them are co-authors of the so-called 'Cho Kuk Black Book,' , including Professor Seo Min of Dankook University. While some view their actions as assuming the role of the opposition party, they continue to voice criticism regardless of party lines.

Recently, almost daily, they have expressed their views on various political issues such as the jeonse housing crisis and the conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl through their personal Facebook accounts.

Public reactions to this are sharply divided. The so-called 'Moonbba'?those who unconditionally support President Moon Jae-in’s words or actions?pour harsh criticism on articles containing statements from Professor Seo Min and former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. Conversely, netizens who support former Professor Jin and others leave comments appreciating their objective evaluations.

Professor Seomin from Dankook University is giving a lecture on the topic of the opposition party's path at the 'Myeongbulheojeon Bosuda,' a meeting of first-term members of the People Power Party, held on the morning of the 11th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Recently, on the 12th, Professor Seo appeared on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' and addressed issues related to political camps. Professor Seo said, "Supporters of the current administration harshly criticize the opposing camp when they make mistakes. However, if it is a fault within their own camp, they unconditionally defend it."

He also referred to Choi Seo-won (Choi Soon-sil), the unofficial power behind the Park Geun-hye administration, sarcastically stating, "If the speech draft scandal had occurred under the current administration, supporters would probably say, 'She didn’t even take a salary and just wrote the speech drafts, how wonderful a person she is; such a person deserves an award.'"

He added, "This kind of camp logic and unconditional support is an act that destroys democracy," and "Our people are acting against democracy."

Specifically mentioning former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, he claimed, "If you visit mom cafes, support for former Minister Cho Kuk and President Moon Jae-in is very high," and "One of the reasons is that, in fact, being good-looking plays a big role." He then questioned, "Can this really be called a high level of the people? Shouldn’t this be criticized?"

On the morning of May 15th, the 'Discussing the 21st General Election! Lost Conservative Politics, What Is the Solution?' forum was held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Yoo Ui-dong and Oh Shin-hwan, members of the Future United Party, and Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, attended the event.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon also shared an article on his Facebook on the same day reporting that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl surpassed Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung in support ratings for the next presidential candidate for the first time, sarcastically commenting, "This is all thanks to Choo Mi-ae."

Professor Jin said, "What should be noted more than Prosecutor General Yoon’s support rating is the stagnation of Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung’s support ratings," adding, "They were exposed too early, losing freshness, and they cannot speak their minds because they are watching their pro-Moon faction." He continued, "Even if Prosecutor General Yoon’s support rating is number one, the problems with Lee and Lee stem from structural causes and are fatal."

There have been verbal exchanges between these outside speakers and Democratic Party officials, despite them not being lawmakers in the National Assembly. On the 16th of last month, Professor Jin mentioned the names of about ten Blue House officials who were indicted or under investigation by prosecutors, stating, "The most corrupt place in South Korea is the Blue House. Blue House chiefs, secretaries, administrators, investigators," and "This can be called total corruption."

In response, on the 17th, Park Jin-young, the Democratic Party’s full-time deputy spokesperson, posted on his Facebook, "Jin Joong-kwon says the Blue House is corrupt?" and explained, "Generally, corruption means abuse of power for economic gain." He countered, "(The Blue House) involves a few corruption cases, but mostly election law violations and abuse of authority allegations."

He then added, "Then Jin Joong-kwon’s 3 million won fine for defamation after clashing with Byeon Hee-jae could also be seen as corruption." This was a sarcastic remark recalling a past incident where Professor Jin, who once defended the Blue House, clashed with conservative figures.

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon [Image source=Yonhap News]

Professor Jin also responded. On the same day, sharing a news article containing Deputy Spokesperson Park’s remarks, he said, "'Surprised. Why is JYP (Park Jin-young) talking about me?' Then I realized the face was different. I have no interest in the natural person Park Jin-young; please comment as the spokesperson. Then I will play along."

Their criticisms also target the opposition party. In July, Professor Jin criticized People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin for raising military service allegations against the late Mayor Park Won-soon’s son, Joo-shin, saying, "He walks around with udon noodles on his head."

Public reactions to this are mixed. Kim, a university student in his 20s, said, "Former Professor Jin Joong-kwon has long criticized the Moon Jae-in government’s policies, but it doesn’t seem like criticism for the sake of criticism," emphasizing, "I hope the government listens to some of these harsh words." He added, "There is a kind of black humor, and personally, I view it positively."

On the other hand, Park, a company employee in his 40s, expressed a negative view. Park said, "Most of the claims are baseless, like fake news," and "The media should verify these, but they report exactly what Professor Jin says. This is very problematic." He further stated, "Not only Professor Jin but also Professor Seo makes absurd claims that have no value."

Professor Jin began voicing criticism of the Moon Jae-in government earlier this year. On January 15, he posted on his Facebook, "I never thought I would become a commentator again, and I never imagined that the target of my criticism would be the Moon Jae-in administration."

He continued, "I was a mummy commentator who wrapped myself in bandages and voluntarily went into the grave, but the fervent Moonbba called me back with a curse. So, I’m back. Is that okay?" Meanwhile, from that point until now, the activities of commentators like Professor Jin, who continuously voice opinions on various policies of the Moon Jae-in government, are expected to continue for the time being.

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