Since Its Founding, the Biggest Crisis for the Justice Party: Comprehensive Reform Instead of Dissolution

Kang Eun-mi Reaffirms 'Zero Tolerance Principle'
Seoul and Busan By-election Candidates Likely to Be Discussed
"What Kind of Shame..." Internal Voices
Sim Sang-jung "Reassessing from the Ground Up"

Kang Eun-mi, the floor leader of the Justice Party, is attending a party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th, apologizing for causing concern due to the sexual harassment incident involving Representative Kim Jong-chul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Justice Party, facing its greatest crisis since its founding due to the party leader's sexual harassment and sudden resignation, is accelerating efforts to manage the situation and completely reform the party. There is a prevailing atmosphere that does not consider ‘starting from zero base,’ such as re-founding or dissolving the party, which has been suggested by some quarters.

Kang Eun-mi, the Justice Party floor leader, said at a party members' meeting on the morning of the 26th, the day after the sexual harassment by former leader Kim Jong-cheol was revealed, "The Justice Party will resolve the incident based on a ‘zero tolerance principle’ without compromise in handling it, regardless of the perpetrator’s position." Bae Bok-ju, the Justice Party vice-chairperson, appeared on the radio and drew a line when asked whether the party dissolution theory raised by some party members would be discussed at the leadership meeting that day, saying, "That is not the case." She added, "We will discuss the future emergency response system and measures to prevent recurrence." Representative Ryu Ho-jeong also said on the radio, "I think it is urgent to properly handle the incident that occurred first." This indicates an approach from the perspective of structural issues.

The Justice Party leadership decided to suspend former leader Kim’s position the previous morning and disclosed the sexual harassment incident. The Justice Party had previously announced that the sexual harassment incident involving Kim Jong-cheol occurred on January 15, and the victim was Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young.

Sim Sang-jung, a member of the Justice Party, is attending a party meeting at the National Assembly on the 26th with a serious expression. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Meanwhile, at 4 p.m. that day, the Justice Party planned to hold a closed leadership meeting chaired by Acting Party Leader Kim Yoon-ki to discuss future party management plans and whether to respond to the April by-elections. It is expected that there will be discussions on whether it is appropriate to field candidates in the April 7 Seoul and Busan by-elections. The candidacies of Kwon Soo-jung, a Seoul city council member who has already applied, and Kim Young-jin, chairman of the Busan party branch, have become uncertain. Regarding this, Representative Ryu said, "How can we talk about election prospects with any sense of shame?" and added, "If there is wrongdoing, we will focus first on correcting the situation with sincere reflection and apology."

The Justice Party has been aggressively criticizing the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "Since there is responsibility for sexual harassment, they should not field candidates." In particular, former leader Kim had said in media interviews last year, "The very basics of politics are trust, and so-called ‘naeronambul’ (double standards: ‘If I do it, it’s romance; if others do it, it’s an affair’) should not be allowed," and "(The Democratic Party) should not field candidates according to their party rules." A Justice Party official said, "It is true that the justification for fielding a Seoul mayoral candidate has disappeared," adding, "Prioritizing the party’s recovery over fielding candidates in the election is the priority."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The incident has also raised strong voices calling for fundamental introspection from within the Justice Party. Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung posted on Facebook opinions emphasizing not only solidarity with the victim but also party reform. He said, "The fact that the party leader is the perpetrator means that everything about the party must be re-examined from the ground up."

Park Won-seok, former Justice Party lawmaker and former chair of the party’s Policy Committee, said, "The Justice Party has historically prided itself as a representative progressive party advocating for the socially vulnerable, but it is necessary to thoroughly reflect and contemplate whether our everyday political activities truly embodied that, or whether at some point we drifted away and became an elite party." Professor Choi Chang-ryeol of Yongin University said, "The Justice Party is facing a major crisis without leading progressive agendas," adding, "There must be a reform of the overall organizational culture."

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