Choo Mi-ae "Reform or Livelihood? A Deceptive Strategy... Democratic Party, Be Brave Not Afraid"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae sharply criticized the Democratic Party of Korea, saying that they should not delay reforms while prioritizing people’s livelihood. She criticized the new leadership of the Democratic Party for showing a lukewarm attitude by likening livelihood to the front wheel and reform to the rear wheel.

On the 10th, former Minister Chu posted on Facebook a message titled, "'Reform or Livelihood, a False Dilemma' is merely the fear of reform instilled by vested interests; there is no livelihood without reform."

She stated, "Should we focus on livelihood instead of prosecutorial reform and media reform? This statement only serves to divide the people and the reformist ruling forces by separating livelihood and reform, sow discord within the reform camp, and ultimately weaken the power of reform through a strategy of sowing discord." The strategy of sowing discord refers to a tactic of using enemy spies to suppress the enemy.

She added, "Reform and livelihood are not separate destinations where one must be chosen over the other. Reform exists as a means to reach the destination called livelihood," and continued, "Saying we should proceed with reform slowly means taking care of livelihood slowly, and saying we should not reform at this time is no different from giving up on livelihood from now on."

To the Democratic Party, she emphasized, "You must never forget that you are a political force with the responsibility and duty to act practically for reform."

Regarding the strategy of centrism, she called it an "illusion." Former Minister Chu said, "What truly burdens people’s livelihood? It is the unfairness and privileges entrenched throughout our society," pointing out, "Especially the massive unearned income from real estate concentrated in the hands of a very few, which is realized without any concern, creating an unfair and absurd social structure."

She continued, "Resolving such absurdity and inequality should be the proper strategy for centrism. Ultimately, the reform pursued by the democratic reform camp should be the process of dismantling the privileges and inequality of rent-seeking that weigh down the livelihood of ordinary people and the middle class one by one."

She also stressed that one should not fear the conflicts and disruptions inevitably arising while pushing forward reforms. Former Minister Chu said, "Resistance is inevitable because vested interests must naturally be relinquished, and sometimes it will inevitably be noisy. To exaggerate a bit, if it is not noisy, it may not be true reform," adding, "If the reform forces mistake the cunning political demands of conservative media and opposition parties for ‘renewal’ and loosen the reins of reform, the future of the reform forces will be bleak."

She concluded, "Reform without resistance is not reform, and therefore there is no reason to fear resistance or reform. Resistance may seem to win temporarily, but it can never win forever," emphasizing, "It is time for bold courage to overcome the fear and terror of reform that has taken root within us. We must extend a hand of solidarity and hope for a strong march of reform once again to the candlelight citizens who are discouraged and disappointed by the stagnation of reform."

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