"The Real Issue is the Democratic Party" Jo Eung-cheon, Can He Overcome 'Munpa' Criticism? [Political Notebook]

"Only Renewal Through Harsh Reflection Can Reach the People"
"Rigid Factional Logic That Does Not Allow Rebuttal"
Targeting Former 'Munpa' Assemblyman Jo, Also Urging 'Go Away, Power of the People Power Party' and Calling for Resignation

Cho Eung-cheon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "The only way for our party to reconnect with the people is to diagnose the fundamental cause of losing power to the forces ousted by impeachment after five years and to fundamentally reform ourselves through a thorough reflection." (Cho Eung-cheon, Emergency Response Committee Member of the Democratic Party of Korea)

Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon has accepted the position of Emergency Response Committee member. Cho has previously voiced harsh criticism targeting the Democratic Party's handling of the 'double standards' controversy surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

In the process, he suffered from 'text bombings' by the 'Moonpa,' the hardline supporters of President Moon Jae-in, and even faced calls to leave the party with suggestions like "Go to the People Power Party" when criticizing the party internally. He was also criticized for allegedly supporting then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who led the investigation into former Minister Cho Kuk, simply because he is a former prosecutor.

Now that he is expected to raise his voice for party reform once again, attention is focused on how the 'Moonpa,' who previously criticized Cho, will respond this time, and what stance the Democratic Party will take regarding the controversy surrounding former Minister Cho Kuk.

On the 13th, Cho posted on his Facebook under the title "Statement on Accepting the Emergency Response Committee Position," pointing out that the root cause of the presidential election defeat lies with the Democratic Party. He emphasized, "In this election, the people gave us more support than we deserved. Especially thanks to candidate Lee Jae-myung's outstanding capabilities, despite many shortcomings of the Democratic Party, we were able to come close to a neck-and-neck race." However, he said, "Ultimately, the problem is the Democratic Party."

Cho continued, "Over the past five years, through the Cho Kuk incident, the Seocho-dong protests, sexual harassment cases involving city and provincial governors, the Yoon Mee-hyang case suspected of privatizing the public value of comfort women grandmothers, and the satellite party incident, our party's morality and fairness have been seriously damaged," adding, "An internal party culture that does not tolerate dissent has taken root, and each time, the party was covered up by rigid factional logic, leading the Democratic Party to be perceived as neither reformist nor moral."

He criticized the lack of party reform despite these issues. He evaluated, "Even though the fundamental problems of arrogance, incompetence, and double standards were blatantly exposed during last year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, there was no reflection, and without reflection, there was even less reform."

Regarding the presidential election, he said, "In this election, the people told us, 'You are neither fair nor seem to pursue the public interest, so we cannot entrust you with power anymore.' Yet, we entered the election with an unfounded confidence that people would choose us because we are more competent than the opposition," adding, "Naturally, we struggled throughout the campaign, overwhelmed by the strong tide of regime change."

On January 5, 2019, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, the 'Moonpa Live Aid - Happy New Year Talk Show,' a New Year's event for supporters of President Moon Jae-in, was held. Photo by Yonhap News

◆ "If you wanted to let people know you are trash, you succeeded" How will the 'Moonpa' respond to Cho Eung-cheon?

Cho has long suffered from the hardline supporters of President Moon Jae-in. The reason why attention is focused on Cho's acceptance of the Emergency Response Committee position is how he will persuade the 'Moonpa' and convert them into a driving force for the Democratic Party. On April 29, 2021, Cho harshly criticized the Moonpa and expressed concern about the party's situation, pointing out that they could become an obstacle to party reform.

In an interview with CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that day, he said, "The voices of 700,000 party members are drowned out by 2,000 hardline supporters," emphasizing, "A non-mainstream reform faction must emerge within the party for us to have hope in next year's presidential election." He added, "They say the Democratic Party is a 'one team,' but if you think about it inversely, it means going toward a 'pro-Moon one voice.' Depending on the method, there may be differences, but the hardline supporters seem unwilling to acknowledge this. Because they do not accept differences, they send text bombings if they think the method is different."

According to the text messages Cho revealed at the time, they were all mocking and insulting messages such as "If you wanted to let people know you are trash, you succeeded, congratulations," "All of you should leave the party with your faction and stop tarnishing the Democratic Party's name," and "Black-haired beasts."

Regarding the so-called 'double standards' scandal involving former Minister Cho Kuk, Cho posted on Facebook on April 14 of the same year, stating, "The taboo or sanctified Cho Kuk issue will be an Achilles' heel that will continue to hold us back, just like the 'impeachment' of conservative parties." He also criticized, "The mainstream forces in the party still cling to vested interests, refuse change, and seem to emphasize so-called 'reform' over public sentiment, making it difficult. The party is gradually returning to the state before the by-election defeats."

At that time, Cho's remarks also drew strong criticism from the Moonpa. He repeatedly posted on social media, urging, "Please let us (party lawmakers) go so that we can approach and win the hearts of people who are not Moonpa," and warned, "The more you engage in text actions, the more lawmakers intimidated by your strong power there are, the farther away the dream of regaining power becomes."

Cho said, "The public opinion is not very favorable toward sending text bombings filled with harsh words like profanity and insults to lawmakers frequently, and it is viewed even more negatively that lawmakers waver because of these text bombings," adding, "Yet, if you insist on continuing 'text actions,' will public sentiment have a favorable view of the Democratic Party and Moonpa?"

Yun Ho-jung, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing the appointments of the Emergency Response Committee on the morning of the 13th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

◆ Democratic Party Emergency Response Committee led by Park Ji-hyun, activist of the Nth Room tracking group 'Bulkkot'

Meanwhile, on the 13th, the Democratic Party announced the lineup for the Emergency Response Committee, appointing Park Ji-hyun, former activist of the 'Nth Room tracking group Bulkkot' and vice chair of the Women's Committee, as co-chair. The committee consists of eight members including Chairperson Yoon Ho-jung and Co-chair Park, with four members reportedly in their 20s and 30s.

At a National Assembly press conference that day, Chairperson Yoon said, "The Emergency Response Committee carries the heavy responsibility of fundamental party change, fulfilling promises to the people, and preparing for local elections," adding, "We have finalized the committee composition based on the principles of youth, women, livelihood, and unity," and "Especially, half of the committee members are in their 20s and 30s."

Yoon further explained the reason for appointing Co-chair Park, saying, "Despite all threats, she has resisted and fought against illegality and injustice. This time, she showed courage by putting down her mask and ID and standing with her real face and name," adding, "The determination and actions representing youth are invaluable spirit and values that our Democratic Party desperately needs," and "She will lead policies on sexual crime countermeasures, women's policies, and from the perspective of socially vulnerable groups and youth."

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