Gominjeong: "We Must Listen to the Disillusionment of Youth Saying 'It's a Crime Not to Be Born as Gwak Sang-do's Son'"

"Surprised by the confidence... 5 billion won, even I guarantee I will never handle that in my lifetime"
"Hwacheon Daeyu calls Assemblyman Kwak 'Ureonggaksi', 'Magic Lamp'"

Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jung is seen saddened on the afternoon of July 26 at the entrance of Changwon Prison in Masanhwawon-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, as former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo was incarcerated.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung sharply criticized independent lawmaker Kwak Sang-do (formerly of the People Power Party), whose son is embroiled in the controversy over a 5 billion won retirement payment from Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), saying, "At the very least, shouldn't you listen to the frustration of young people who feel it is a crime not to have been born as Kwak's son?"

On the 29th, Ko stated on YTN Radio's "Hwang Bo-seon's Start of a New Morning," "Since the issue concerns Kwak Sang-do's son and involves privacy, I do not want to engage in political attacks any further," adding this comment.

She pointed out, "I was somewhat surprised by their confidence. The son said that the payment was a reward for working hard and to the point of physical harm. However, the majority of people will never even touch 5 billion won in their lifetime."

She continued, "I can assure you that even I will never be able to handle that amount in my lifetime," and criticized, "I think it was spoken about too lightly."

She further emphasized, "Kwak stated that 'his son only received about 2.5 million won per month,' but he said this despite knowing about the 5 billion won retirement payment," adding, "When ranking retirement payments, it turns out his son received more than the president of Samsung Electronics. 5 billion won is indeed a very large sum."

Regarding the claim that 4.5 billion won of the retirement payment was industrial accident compensation for a serious injury, she remarked, "You might recall the cases where Samsung Electronics compensated semiconductor-affected employees," and pointed out, "There was a report that 19.5 billion won was paid to 127 affected employees. Comparing this helps understand how large 5 billion won really is."

She also said, "Hwacheon Daeyu not only gave a 5 billion won retirement payment but also made multiple donations to Kwak himself," and sarcastically added, "Would they have given 5 billion won simply because of an industrial accident? It still doesn't make sense logically. Looking at this, Hwacheon Daeyu seems almost like a 'Ureonggaksi' or a 'magic lamp' to Kwak."

Ko stated, "Kwak had previously disclosed the overseas migration process of the president's daughter, the employment details of his son-in-law, and even the school records of his elementary school-aged grandson. Yet now, due to his own son's issue, he has resigned from his party and is being asked to give up his parliamentary seat by his party (People Power Party). He must be going through a lot of thoughts."

Regarding the possibility of Kwak's expulsion from the People Power Party, she said, "There needs to be internal coordination within the party," and added, "The Democratic Party's decisions on what and how to act should be made last."

Earlier, on the 27th, Ko criticized on her Facebook post, "Despite holding an enormous amount of 5 billion won, the confidence to say 'I worked hard, was recognized, and earned a lot because I was physically harmed' really offends my sensibilities."

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