Won Hee-ryong: "Rather, Choo Mi-ae Unifies National Opinion... Now It's Not a Matter of Progressive vs. Conservative Conflict"

Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong Criticizes Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae for Writing 'To Dear Comrade Jeong Seong-ho'

Won Hee-ryong, Jeju City, attended the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee hearing on the 20th, answering questions from lawmakers regarding the national audit of Gangwon Province, Gyeongsangbuk Province, Chungcheongbuk Province, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The opposition parties have collectively criticized Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who wrote a letter titled 'To Dear Comrade Jeong Seong-ho.'

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju, said on the morning of the 15th on his Facebook, "Minister Choo is now a symbol of ignorance and abnormality," adding, "Paradoxically, Minister Choo is causing national opinion to unify."

Governor Won stated, "Jeong Seong-ho, a committee member of the Democratic Party, publicly warned Minister Choo after repeatedly inappropriate behavior at the Budget and Accounts Committee meeting a few days ago. Before that, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who oversees the cabinet, also publicly warned Minister Choo," emphasizing, "(The controversy over Minister Choo) is not a confrontation between progressives and conservatives. It is not a conflict between the ruling and opposition parties."

He continued, "Minister Choo sent an open letter to Committee Member Jeong, calling him a 'Democratic Party comrade.' She counterattacked the legitimate checks and balances by the National Assembly standing committee chair over a cabinet member by invoking intra-party comrade relations," criticizing, "Minister Choo talks about commanding and supervising the prosecution but ignores the command of the Prime Minister, who has authority over her."

He also emphasized, "Regarding the democratic control of the National Assembly, she retorts as if saying 'I was the ruling party leader.' This situation cannot be dismissed as internal strife within the ruling party. It is a disruption of national order and a challenge to the legislative branch."

Governor Won said, "Now, it is impossible to urge or expect Minister Choo herself to exercise restraint or restore normalcy," and asked, "President Moon Jae-in, does Minister Choo's behavior align with prosecutorial reform? Can we understand that Minister Choo's conduct reflects the President's intentions?" He urged, "If the prosecutorial reform President Moon talks about is not about controlling the prosecution, Minister Choo should not be allowed to remain in her position even for a day longer. Please resolve this yourself."

Kim Geun-sik, professor at Gyeongnam National University and head of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district in Seoul, also wrote on his Facebook the previous day, "When Minister Choo called Committee Member Jeong a comrade and summoned him, I thought she would apologize for her long-winded lectures to opposition lawmakers during budget deliberations, as if teaching students. But it was 'as expected,'" criticizing, "Calling him a comrade and apologizing was just a pretense; ultimately, she used Assembly Member Jeong Seong-ho as a tool to emphasize her legitimacy and to continue harshly criticizing the opposition as she pleased."

Earlier, on the 12th, Assembly Member Jeong had restrained Minister Choo during a heated exchange with People Power Party lawmakers at the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee, saying, "Please moderate yourself." When his remark became a topic of discussion, Jeong wrote on his Facebook on the 13th, "I only said one word, but I was tired all day," adding, "The debate over special activity expenses, which accounts for less than 0.1% of next year's budget and less than 1% of the entire Budget Committee's inquiries, was highlighted. No one cares or knows how the livelihood budget was discussed. It's a regrettable reality," expressing his thoughts.

In response, Minister Choo wrote on Facebook on the 14th, in a post titled 'To Dear Comrade Jeong Seong-ho,' "I feel embarrassed and sorry that you were tired all day because of one word, 'Please moderate yourself,'" but added, "From my experience in National Assembly activities and my changed position as a cabinet member, I cannot deny that there are issues the National Assembly needs to correct." She further stated, "If the repeated shouting questions to the minister, which do not allow opportunities to respond and involve intimidation and insults, are not changed, it will cause severe self-reproach and discomfort and political disgust among the watching public."

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