Won Hee-ryong: "Lee Jae-myung's Apology for Votes... Start by Disbanding the Cho Kuk Defense Squad"

Won Hee-ryong, Head of Policy Headquarters, People Power Party Central Election Countermeasures Committee

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Won Hee-ryong, head of policy at the People Power Party's Central Election Countermeasures Committee, criticized Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, for his apology regarding the former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk incident, calling it a "false selective apology."

On the 3rd, Won targeted Lee on his social media, saying, "He is a candidate who will do anything for votes," and pointed out, "Lee Jae-myung, who said the Cho Kuk incident was 'close to an irrational witch hunt' and that 'former Minister Cho was a victim of selective justice,' seems to have selectively forgotten his own past calls to defend Cho Kuk."

He continued, "Currently, the Democratic Party's election committee is filled with figures that make it hard to distinguish whether it is an election organization or a Cho Kuk defense squad," adding, "Yet, apologizing just for votes?shame is a luxury for candidate Lee Jae-myung."

Won added, "If he wants to show even a shred of sincerity in his apology, the first step should be to disband the Cho Kuk defense squad placed among his closest aides."

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk

Won’s remarks pointed out that despite Lee previously defending former Minister Cho Kuk, he changed his stance and apologized.

Earlier, in August 2019, when allegations such as admission fraud and private equity fund suspicions surrounded Cho Kuk’s family, Lee sided with Cho, saying it was "close to an irrational witch hunt."

In March last year, he also said, "It cannot be denied that cruel personal attacks and witch hunts occurred during the prosecution’s investigation process," and in July of the same year, he stated, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl exercised selective justice, and former Minister Cho Kuk was a victim of selective justice."

However, on the previous day (the 2nd), Lee apologized regarding the Cho Kuk incident, saying, "It remains one of the root causes why the Democratic Party is still shunned and criticized by the public," and, "We damaged and disappointed the public’s expectations of fairness through double standards."

He added, "'We are unfairly treated,' and 'Why only us?' attitudes must have been criticized. This is what double standards mean," and "We must acknowledge that the higher the position and responsibility, the stronger the criticism will be."

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