"Is President Moon at fault?" Choo Mi-ae questions Lee Nak-yeon, who opposed Cho Kuk's appointment

Choo "Isn't there a lack of understanding about prosecution reform?" questions
Lee "Cho Kuk has been hurt too much" explains

On the 5th, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon (left) and former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who attended the Democratic Party presidential primary candidates' TV debate. Photo by MBN

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae confronted former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, who is known to have expressed opposition to the appointment of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, asking, "Do you think the president made a wrong decision?"

On the 5th, former Minister Chu pressed Lee Nak-yeon with this question during the second TV debate of the Democratic Party preliminary primary jointly hosted by JTBC and MBN.

Lee Nak-yeon revealed during the Democratic Party preliminary primary public interview held the previous day (4th) that he had expressed the opinion "I hoped [the appointment] would not be made" when asked about his stance on the appointment of Cho Kuk during the 'Cho Kuk incident' in 2019. At that time, Lee was the Prime Minister.

In response, former Minister Chu asked, "What was the reason for opposing Minister Cho's appointment?" Lee replied, "It is exactly as I explained yesterday. I have nothing to add." During the public interview, Lee explained that "(Minister Cho) had already suffered too many wounds, and it seemed it would also be a burden to the president."

However, former Minister Chu asked again, "How did you understand it when the appointment was pushed through?" Lee answered, "I heard the circumstances and explanations behind President Moon's decision and accepted it."

On the 5th, Choo Mi-ae, former Minister of Justice, attended the Democratic Party presidential primary TV debate held at JTBC Studio in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

When former Minister Chu continued to point out, "Wasn't there a lack of understanding about prosecutorial reform at the time?" and "Did you not suspect that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's prosecution was resisting reform?" Lee responded, "In the National Assembly, I repeatedly said that the prosecution's investigation was excessive. Former Minister Chu would remember that as well."

However, former Minister Chu dismissed this by saying, "I don't really recall that," and emphasized, "Because of hesitation and distancing regarding reform, fatigue arose, and we lost even in the by-elections. There were also real estate issues, but supporters did not focus on that issue alone. They made a comprehensive evaluation. Now, we must return to being a Democratic Party that is truly Democratic."

In response, Lee said, "I knew that candidate Chu Mi-ae had worked hard as a minister, and the party also tried its best to support her," adding, "As the election approached, the party made its own judgment." However, former Minister Chu firmly stated, "The election result shows that judgment was wrong."

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