'Pro-Moon' Faction Shakes the National Assembly: Impeachment Calls for Lee Nakyeon and Legislative Pressure [Han Seunggon's Political Notebook]

Pro-Moon Faction Pressures 'Pro-Ruling Party' Lawmakers to Sign Pledge to Abolish Prosecutorial Investigative Powers
Concerns Raised Over Atmosphere of Lawmakers' Self-Censorship
Taeseop Geum Faces Ongoing Collective Criticism for Opposing the CIO
Nakyeon Lee Faces Backlash After Raising Pardons for Lee Myungbak and Park Geunhye
Joongkwon Jin: "Party Politics System Is Being Undermined"

On January 5, 2019, the 'Moonpa Live Aid - Happy New Year Talk Show,' a New Year's event for supporters of President Moon Jaein, was held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building auditorium.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Han Seunggon] Within the core support base of the Moon Jaein administration-those who support President Moon’s governing philosophy and political orientation, known as the “pro-Moon” faction-there is growing controversy over whether encouraging certain “pro-ruling party” lawmakers to sign a “pledge to abolish prosecutorial investigative powers” infringes upon lawmakers’ freedom of conscience.

Members of the National Assembly, as representatives of the people, are not bound by their party’s directives and may vote according to their conscience. Even regarding this particular bill, some lawmakers may support amendments or partial adjustments rather than outright abolition, and thus may choose not to support the bill in its entirety.

There is room for a diverse range of opinions in the National Assembly, including conditional support rather than full endorsement of the bill. However, due to the pro-Moon group’s pressure to support a specific bill, lawmakers may be compelled to self-censor, which raises concerns that such a reality could suppress diverse voices and drive the legislature toward a uniform, totalitarian system.

Previously, some pro-Moon factions even called for the impeachment of Lee Nakyeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, after he mentioned the possibility of pardoning former presidents Lee Myungbak and Park Geunhye.

According to political sources on January 11, the pro-Moon group “Paran Jeongchi Citizen Action” has been requesting that some Democratic Party lawmakers submit pledges as part of its “Citizen Action Project to Abolish Prosecutorial Investigative Powers.” This group was launched in November 2019, advocating for the protection of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and for prosecutorial reform.

In response to the group’s request, some lawmakers have signed the pledge and posted it on their social media accounts. For example, on January 9, Democratic Party lawmaker Unha Hwang wrote on Facebook, “A civic group has called for legislative action to separate investigative and prosecutorial powers. I am grateful and believe this is a positive step,” as he publicly shared the pledge bearing his name.

The pro-Moon Jae-in group 'Paran Jangmi Citizen Action' sends a consent pledge to lawmakers to 'abolish the prosecution investigators.' The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Hwang Unha, member of the Democratic Party of Korea, captured from Facebook.

The pledge states: “Along with the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), we wish to see the complete abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers-one of the two major prosecutorial reform tasks of the Moon Jaein administration-fully realized within President Moon’s term.”

It continues: “We solemnly pledge before the people to make every effort, including casting our sacred vote as lawmakers, to pass a bill for the complete abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers within the first half of 2021, so that it can be implemented within President Moon’s term.” Lawmakers who have joined the so-called “complete abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers” pledge include, in addition to Hwang, Democratic Party members Sujin Lee and Yongmin Kim.

The issue arises for lawmakers who may have different views on the bill promoted by the pro-Moon faction, or who support amendments. If they voice opposition to the bill being pushed by the pro-Moon group, they risk facing so-called “legislative demand text message attacks” or abusive phone calls, which can disrupt their parliamentary activities.

On October 21 last year, former lawmaker Geum Taeseop announced his departure from the Democratic Party. In a post on his Facebook, he criticized, "The biggest problem is the arrogance of division within the Democratic Party." Photo by Yonhap News

An even greater concern is that lawmakers may be stigmatized by the pro-Moon faction as opposing President Moon’s intentions or the Moon Jaein administration itself. A representative example is former Democratic Party lawmaker Taeseop Geum, who faced intense backlash from pro-Moon supporters and ultimately left the party after expressing dissenting views on former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and the CIO. On December 30, 2019, when the bill to establish the CIO passed the National Assembly, Geum abstained from voting. All other Democratic Party lawmakers voted in favor.

However, once it became known that Geum had abstained from voting on what was called “President Moon Jaein’s number one campaign pledge”-the CIO establishment bill-pro-Moon supporters flocked to Geum’s Facebook and other social media accounts, criticizing him and urging him to “join the Liberty Korea Party” or “leave the Democratic Party.”

According to relevant laws (National Assembly Act Article 114), lawmakers are representatives of the people and may vote according to their conscience, not bound by party directives; and according to the Constitution (Article 46), lawmakers must prioritize the national interest and perform their duties according to their conscience. However, in reality, Geum faced harsh criticism and collective condemnation, including calls for him to leave the party. Subsequently, the Democratic Party’s Ethics Tribunal decided to discipline him for violating the party line. Although Geum requested a retrial, the party took no further action, leading to his eventual departure.

Lee Nakyeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is reviewing materials at the launch ceremony of the Youth Future Council held at the National Assembly on the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The same pro-Moon faction that harshly criticized Geum is now targeting Lee Nakyeon, who mentioned the possibility of pardoning former presidents Lee Myungbak and Park Geunhye. In a New Year’s interview with Yonhap News on January 1, Lee cited “national unity” as the reason for considering pardons for the two former presidents.

However, criticism of Lee from some pro-Moon factions continues unabated. There are even calls within the party for his impeachment, referencing party regulations to demand his resignation, and suggestions that he be referred to the party’s Ethics Committee.

Facing intense criticism both inside and outside the party, Lee clarified his position on January 3, stating, “It is important to have public consensus and for the individuals involved to show remorse.” It is interpreted that Lee has temporarily put the pardon issue on hold following opposition from pro-Moon supporters and party lawmakers.

Such actions by the pro-Moon faction have been criticized as undermining party politics. Previously, “Paran Jeongchi Citizen Action” also launched a campaign at the end of 2019 urging lawmakers to pledge support for the CIO bill after Geum abstained from voting on it.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Changwon Pyo also raised the issue publicly, writing on Facebook at the time, “There are increasing demands for lawmakers to respond to forms or official documents regarding their stance on specific issues, and at the same time, we are receiving warnings and concerns about this practice.”

President Moon Jaein
Photo by Yonhap News

Ordinary citizens also view these developments with discomfort. A man in his 40s who identified as politically moderate commented, “It feels as if they are blatantly asking whether lawmakers’ consciences are ‘pro-Moon’ or not.” He continued, “The National Assembly is supposed to be a place where various conflicts and voices come together. If everyone is expected to be in lockstep, that’s more like a company than a parliament. Is the National Assembly a corporation?” He also criticized, “While the pro-Moon faction can play a positive role within the Democratic Party, its shortcomings are becoming increasingly apparent.”

Another office worker in his 30s remarked, “I don’t understand why lawmakers are so concerned about the pro-Moon faction’s opinions,” and added, “In the end, isn’t the pro-Moon faction exerting influence over the entire country’s legislative process? It’s pathetic.”

Experts have also criticized the pro-Moon faction’s actions as undermining democracy. Former Dongyang University professor Joongkwon Jin wrote on Facebook in August last year, “President Moon Jaein and former President Park Geunhye share the trait of relying on someone else’s aura. Fandom politics is destroying the party politics system.”

He continued, “Park Geunhye relied on her father’s aura, Moon Jaein on his friend’s. The commonality between the two is fandom politics. The basis of such fandom is the aura of another person. Park Geunhye became a proxy for Park Chunghee, and Moon Jaein for Roh Moohyun, which is why they have their own fandoms.”

Jin further pointed out, “The problem with fandom politics is that it bypasses the procedures of representative democracy and leans toward direct democracy. Fandoms believe their will is directly represented by their leader, which ultimately damages the system of party politics.”

Choi Jangjip, professor emeritus of political science and international relations at Korea University, wrote in his paper “Rethinking Korean Democracy,” published by the Seoul National University Korean Political Studies Institute, “The emergence of the Moon Jaein administration after the candlelight protests was expected to mark a turning point for Korean democracy, ushering in a new phase. However, Korean democracy is now in crisis,” and added, “This crisis stems from the political failures of the elite group of the student activist generation and the so-called ‘ppa’ faction allied with them.”

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