Criticism Pours In on Woo Sang-ho Saying "Why Care About the Murder Case Now? Won't Cooperate with Data Access"

"More Urgent to Make a Living Than the Killed Official"...
"No Cooperation in Accessing Presidential Records" Remarks Draw Criticism from Ruling Party

Democratic Party of Korea Emergency Response Committee Chairman Woo Sang-ho is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 17th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been criticized for stating that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's attempt to investigate the truth behind the killing of government officials in the West Sea is not a pressing issue, saying, "How urgent is the issue of making a living that this is a current matter?"

On the 18th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, after attending a memorial service for war heroes at Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, told reporters, "Chairman Woo's remarks are actions that hinder the truth investigation. According to the Democratic Party's claim, is the logic that the economy will develop if the truth is not investigated? That is completely unrelated."

He added, "This is a very different attitude from the Democratic Party's consistent emphasis on investigating the truth until the bereaved families and victims were satisfied regarding the historical pain of May 18 and the Sewol ferry disaster in the past."

Park Min-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, shared a photo of Woo Sang-ho from his activist days on Facebook and said, "In 1987, this young man (Woo Sang-ho), who held the portrait of Lee Han-yeol, who died after being hit by a tear gas canister, shedding hot tears, has become a monster in 2022 who claims 'Is the West Sea killing incident important?' and says 'I have no intention to cooperate with the truth investigation.'" He added, "The pure young man who resisted state violence has fallen into a cold-blooded vested interest who justifies state violence."

Spokesperson Park said, "Chairman Woo Sang-ho, how did you end up like this? Aren't you ashamed of this self-image that completely denies even the history of democratization?" He continued, "I am ashamed. I am ashamed of the history of democratization, and I am afraid I might become like that too. Also, I feel the same indescribable anger that Chairman Woo Sang-ho must have felt toward the state and government in his youth."

He then said, "There are no longer any 'democratization martyrs' in South Korea. Only rotten activists remain who want to live comfortably for life with an outdated bill. Step down from that position as soon as possible. Before it gets uglier, return to being an ordinary citizen and ask yourself and Lee Han-yeol, whom you were in your youth, whether you have lived properly as a politician. That will be the only way for the past to be remembered beautifully."

Former Saenuri Party lawmaker Jeon Yeo-ok said, "When did Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party ever care so much about people's livelihoods and worry about their three meals a day? The Democratic Party, which demands another investigation into the Sewol ferry disaster that cost 57.2 billion won, and its emergency committee chairman say the 'defection fabrication' should not be reinvestigated? They should say, 'It must be investigated and those responsible and related persons severely punished' to be considered human."

Jang Ye-chan, former head of the Youth Communication Task Force of the Presidential Transition Committee, also said on Facebook, "Livelihood is obviously important, but if we cannot protect the lives of our people, the South Korean government loses its very reason for existence." He added, "We must not belittle this incident just because it is something suspicious that the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House even went to court to hide. Politics should never be done like that."

Earlier, after the party working committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th, Chairman Woo told reporters, "I don't know if the killing incident is such an important priority among the Yoon Seok-yeol government's national tasks." He said, "How urgent is the issue of making a living that this is a current matter?"

Regarding access to materials on the killing of government officials, designated as presidential records, he said, "I have no intention to cooperate," adding, "Livelihood is very serious; is this the time to do such things?"

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