Jo Eung-cheon: "'Cho Kuk Memoir' Is Embarrassing... Cho Kuk Must Not Fall Into the Quagmire Again"

Cho Eung-cheon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jumi Lee] Amid ongoing support from ruling party lawmakers for the publication of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's memoir, Cho Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, delivered a harsh critique, stating, "We cannot fall back into the quagmire of 'Cho Kuk's time'."

On the 31st, Cho posted on his Facebook, "The keywords that dominated this past weekend were 'Lee Jun-seok whirlwind' and 'Cho Kuk memoir.' Although these two keywords may seem unrelated, I thought they could later be regarded as a turning point that determines the outcome of the presidential election," he said.

Cho criticized the Democratic Party's presidential candidates who defended former Minister Cho. He said, "While we are in the midst of a project to listen to public sentiment and reflect on the causes of the April 7 by-election defeat, it is truly embarrassing for our party that the person identified as a major cause of the election loss is publishing a book," adding, "The fact that our party’s leading presidential candidates are competitively making statements defending former Minister Cho, conscious of hardline party members, makes this embarrassment even more awkward."

Regarding some opinions that "passing the primary is important, so we can carry the agenda of prosecutorial and media reform and then move toward the center in the general election," he retorted, "Can we really win the general election like that?" and "Will party members and the public fall for such a tactic?"

Cho compared the Democratic Party’s entanglement in the 'Cho Kuk memoir' controversy with the People Power Party’s situation amid the 'Lee Jun-seok whirlwind.' He said, "Before the announcement of the People Power Party’s representative preliminary election results, there was only vague anxiety, but when even the seasoned members of the conservative party unexpectedly gave over 30% of the votes to a 36-year-old young outsider, I realized their desperation and earnestness for next year’s presidential election."

He continued, "For the first time in 14 years since the 2007 Lee Myung-bak?Park Geun-hye presidential primary, the People Power Party has gained national attention and vitality in its internal primary thanks to the 'Lee Jun-seok whirlwind,' whereas our party cannot fall back into the quagmire called 'Cho Kuk’s time.' Centered on Representative Song Young-gil, we must actively respond to the imminent era of political upheaval, clearly organize our stance on 'Cho Kuk’s time,' and consistently focus on the livelihood of the people to regain the reliable image of the ruling party," he emphasized.

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