Opposition: "President Moon cuts off Kim Kyung-soo's tail" vs Cheong: "No stance is a stance"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol "Silent and Avoiding"
Professor Kim Geun-sik "Irresponsible Cut-off"
Cheong "Will Focus Only on COVID-19 Prevention and Livelihood Economy," Dismisses

Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo is moving to make a statement at Changwon Prison in Masanhwoin-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, on the afternoon of the 26th, the day of his incarceration. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo was re-incarcerated after his prison sentence was confirmed for conspiracy in the 'Druking comment manipulation' case. Meanwhile, voices from the opposition camp are calling for President Moon Jae-in to directly express his position on the matter. In response, the Blue House dismissed this by saying, "Having no position is a position."

Yoon Seok-youl, a leading opposition presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, wrote on his Facebook on the 25th, "President Moon, the sole beneficiary of this public opinion manipulation, is acting as if it is someone else's issue, unable even to offer an excuse of being wronged," and claimed, "President Moon is silent and evasive."

He continued, "It is as if saying, 'We are powerful, so what can you do?' and 'It will soon be forgotten, so we will endure,'" adding, "President Moon must respond and take responsibility. This is not something 'Secretary Kim Kyung-soo' should bear alone."

He emphasized, "The real responsible parties and accomplices must be investigated, and the political manipulation forces must be judged by the people's verdict in the election."

Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General / Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Geun-sik, professor at Gyeongnam National University and chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district in Seoul, also targeted President Moon in a Facebook post on the 27th, criticizing, "While posting daily on SNS about the Taeguk Warriors who won gold medals, remaining silent without a word about Governor Kim, who is imprisoned, is too heartless morally, ethically, and politically."

Professor Kim sarcastically criticized, calling it "an irresponsible disassociation and a harsh scapegoating," and said, "Former Governor Kim is a good person who went to prison on behalf of his superiors."

He further argued, "Secretary Song In-bae introduced Druking, First Lady Kim Jung-sook visited Gyeongin Line, President Moon called the comments 'positive comments,' and referred to text message attacks as 'seasoning.' Anyone can see that it is not common sense that Kim Kyung-soo, who was the campaign chief for candidate Moon Jae-in at the time, conspired alone with Druking."

Earlier, Kim, whose two-year prison sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, was re-incarcerated at Changwon Prison around 12:50 p.m. on the 26th. After being sentenced to prison in the first trial in January 2019, Kim was detained and served 77 days at Seoul Detention Center before being released on bail. He will continue serving the remaining 653 days of his sentence in prison.

Kim was prosecuted on charges of conspiring with Kim Dong-won, known as 'Druking,' and his associates to manipulate online comments using an automated program (macro) called 'King Crab' during President Moon's campaign as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. He was also charged with violating the Public Official Election Act for allegedly offering the position of Consul General in Sendai, Japan, to Kim Dong-won in exchange for assistance in comment manipulation.

Former Governor Kim is speaking in front of Changwon Prison in Masanhwoewon-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam before being incarcerated. / Photo by Yonhap News

The first trial court found Kim guilty on all charges, sentencing him to two years in prison for comment manipulation and ten months in prison with a two-year probation for violating the Public Official Election Act. However, the second trial acquitted him of the Public Official Election Act violation.

As calls from the opposition for President Moon to express his position grow louder following Kim's re-incarceration, the Blue House drew a clear line by stating, "Having no position is a position."

Park Soo-hyun, Chief of Public Communication at the Blue House, responded to a question on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 28th about demands from the opposition for President Moon to apologize regarding Kim's confirmed guilt, saying, "The position of having no position is the stance maintained so far."

He added, "With the political season returning, there may be intentions to involve President Moon and the Blue House in the Yeouido election and use them for their own advantages and disadvantages," emphasizing, "Right now, the President and the Blue House have no time to pay attention to anything other than COVID-19 quarantine, which concerns the lives and safety of the people, and revitalizing the people's economy."

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