Jo Eung-cheon Criticizes Park Beom-gye Who Defended Kim Jin-guk's Son Controversy as "Overly Meddlesome"

"My Father is Chief of Civil Affairs" Controversy Over Kim Jin-guk's Son's Job Application
Park Beom-gye "Kim Jin-guk, Chief of Civil Affairs, is Transparent"... Jo Eung-cheon "Urges Restraint"

Cho Eung-cheon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid the resignation of Kim Jin-guk, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, over issues related to his son's job application, Cho Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye, who defended Kim, on the 21st.

On the same day, Cho posted on his Facebook under the title "I urge Minister Park Beom-gye to exercise restraint," stating, "At this moment when political neutrality is extremely required ahead of the presidential election, it is highly inappropriate for the Minister of Justice to proactively defend a Blue House aide’s private matters based on personal conviction, which could cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 20th, Minister Park shared an article about the controversy surrounding Kim’s son on his Facebook, saying, "The reason I am posting this article is because I am confident that Senior Secretary Kim is transparent."

Photo by Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, Facebook screen capture.

Regarding this, Rep. Cho said, "If Senior Secretary Kim had disclosed the detailed circumstances including family matters and apologized, it would have been appropriate to calmly observe the Blue House’s position and the public’s judgment," adding, "It is unbecoming of the Minister of Justice to hastily express personal judgments without properly verifying the facts, thereby inviting questions about his own suitability, casting doubt on the sincerity of the apologetic Senior Secretary, and potentially causing a burden even to the President."

He further emphasized, "This will not help the efforts of our party and candidate, who have humbly accepted criticism of 'double standards' and promised to show a new image," and reiterated, "I urge Minister Park to exercise restraint."

Kim Jin-guk, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, who was embroiled in controversy over his son's job application, tendered his resignation on the 21st. President Moon Jae-in immediately accepted Kim's resignation. The photo shows Kim attending a Senior Secretary and Aide Meeting at the Blue House on April 26. Photo by Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, Kim’s son, Mr. Kim, recently sparked controversy after it was revealed that he submitted a self-introduction letter mentioning "my father is the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs" while applying to five companies. It was found that he wrote inappropriate content such as "My father is Kim Jin-guk, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs," and "I will talk to my father to help realize this company’s dreams."

Regarding the controversy, Mr. Kim said, "I am sorry. I was immature and reckless because I really wanted to get a job," adding, "I have deleted all the resumes I submitted and did not attend any interviews." It is reported that Mr. Kim is currently employed at an IT company. He claims to have submitted a proper resume to his current employer.

Senior Secretary Kim stated, "My son has been receiving treatment for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms," and added, "There is no excuse for this unacceptable matter, and I sincerely apologize." The Blue House confirmed the facts immediately after the report, and Senior Secretary Kim acknowledged them and tendered his resignation to President Moon Jae-in, who promptly accepted it.

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