Kim Jaewon: "Even if Yoon Seokyeol appears as a devil, we must hold his hand for hope... I wish him well"

Core Pro-Park Kim Jae-won Urges Conservative Camp to Join Hands with Yoon Seok-yeol
"If It Means Winning, We Must Join Hands Even with Monsters or Devils"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-won expressed his intention on the 11th to bless the future of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who has effectively chosen a political path. Even though Yoon, at the forefront when he was branded as part of the deep-rooted evils after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, the conservative camp must now join hands with him.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Kim posted on social media (SNS) an article titled "Yoon Seok-yeol and the Devil's Hand," mentioning the events following former President Park's impeachment and the then Saenuri Party (now People Power Party) impeachment support, sharing his reflections on Yoon. Kim had served as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs and Deputy Floor Leader during Park’s presidency.

He said, "Yoon Seok-yeol may have appeared as a devil, but holding the devil’s hand and seeing hope to overcome the darkness is a relief in itself," adding, "I sincerely hope Yoon succeeds because I believe his choice will benefit the Republic of Korea."

Kim also candidly expressed his painful stance regarding Yoon. Introducing the post-impeachment situation, he said, "Hundreds of politicians and high-ranking officials who served under the Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak administrations were sent to prison one after another due to investigations branding them as deep-rooted evils, or could not endure and took their own lives," and added, "Even I, who served as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House for about four months before the impeachment, underwent investigations and trials in multiple places, pushing my family to mental breakdown."

He continued, "At the center of the impeachment and deep-rooted evils investigations was former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. Although he may not have intended it from the start, the legal basis for former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment was the indictment by the special prosecutor Park Young-soo, whose central figure was Yoon Seok-yeol. It goes without saying that Yoon and Han Dong-hoon were the core of the subsequent deep-rooted evils investigations." This means Yoon was the main figure behind the deep-rooted evils investigations targeting the pro-Park faction.

Kim said, "That Yoon Seok-yeol has effectively declared his presidential candidacy," and "He praised the achievements of the deep-rooted evils investigations, pointed to President Moon Jae-in?who dramatically promoted him to Prosecutor General?as an enemy of democracy, and volunteered himself as the protector of the people, becoming a leading opposition presidential candidate."

He also conveyed the complex feelings within the conservative camp regarding this. Kim said, "In fact, there are quite a few who are taken aback. From the Taegeukgi protesters still shouting ‘fraudulent impeachment’ to passionate young people saying ‘Park Geun-hye deserves prison but Yoon Seok-yeol does not,’ hundreds and thousands of calls and messages have poured in," and these people sent the message, "No matter how urgent the conservative right-wing is, they must distinguish friend from foe."

Kim recalled persuading them by quoting National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won. He said, "Park Ji-won said that to pass the impeachment, one must even hold the devil’s hand. If we can win, what does it matter if Yoon Seok-yeol is a monster or a devil?" At the time of the impeachment, Park, who was the emergency committee chairman of the People’s Party, advocated for an alliance between the pro-impeachment Saenuri Party lawmakers and the opposition, persuading that "when crossing a difficult pass, one must even hold the devil’s hand."

Kim concluded, "Politics is a series of choices. Choices belong to politicians," but added, "However, the results are often the responsibility of the people."

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