Geum Tae-seop, who joined Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign committee, says "The Democratic Party I left a year ago hasn't changed"

"Recently Disciplining Party Members with Different Opinions from Presidential Candidates"
Reposting Last Year's 'Democratic Party Resignation Statement'

Geum Tae-seop, former member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Geum Tae-seop, former Democratic Party lawmaker who recently officially joined the election campaign committee of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, criticized on the 8th, saying, "The Democratic Party has not changed since I left the party a year ago."

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, former lawmaker Geum said, "The Democratic Party that I left a year ago has not changed since then. Recently, a party member was punished with an 8-month suspension of party membership for expressing opinions different from the presidential candidate," he said.

He appears to be referring to Lee Sang-yi, a professor at Jeju National University, who was suspended from party membership for 8 months after criticizing Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, over his basic income pledge.

Former lawmaker Geum also reposted the article he wrote when he left the Democratic Party on October 21 last year. In the article titled "Reasons for Leaving the Democratic Party," he criticized, saying, "The Democratic Party has changed so much that you can hardly find the previous flexibility, humility, and culture of communication."

Former lawmaker Geum is attending the party Ethics Committee rehearing held at the Yeouido party headquarters in the afternoon of June last year. / Photo by Yonhap News

Former lawmaker Geum gained attention during the 20th National Assembly for his so-called 'principled remarks' that disregarded the party line. However, some Democratic Party members submitted a petition for his expulsion in February last year, and he was disciplined with a 'warning' by the party's Ethics Committee.

Regarding this, he pointed out, "It is hard to imagine in the Democratic Party led by Kim Dae-jung or Roh Moo-hyun that they would not hesitate to file criminal complaints and civil lawsuits against the people," adding, "The biggest problem is the arrogant attitude of dividing the people into factions, turning those with different opinions into criminals or pro-Japanese collaborators, and bullying them."

About the so-called 'text bomb' actions by some extreme Democratic Party supporters, he said, "I have made considerable efforts to say what needed to be said despite political disadvantages and personally unbearable criticism," but added, "I have reached a point where I can no longer approve or agree with the direction the party is heading. Therefore, as a final protest, I submit my resignation with sincerity and true feelings."

Meanwhile, former lawmaker Geum was appointed as the head of the Strategic Planning Office of the People Power Party's campaign committee on the 7th.

In this regard, Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, predicted on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' program in the afternoon, "Former lawmaker Geum will be quite a significant threat to the Democratic Party."

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