Geum Tae-seop: "Every time the regime changes, 'clearing out deep-rooted evils'... It's regrettable to see history repeating itself"

"Moon Administration Also Criticized for 'Not Achieving Anything' in Clearing Deep-rooted Evils"
"Yoon Administration's Approval Ratings May Rise Easily but Will Collapse Like a Sandcastle"

Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop expressed concern over the ongoing investigations targeting Moon Jae-in government officials, including the alleged 'Ministry of Industry Blacklist,' saying, "The temptation to punish the previous government is really hard to resist, and the same thing keeps repeating."

On the 20th, Geum posted on Facebook an article titled "See You in Two Years," stating, "The easiest way for a new government to raise approval ratings is to punish the mistakes of the past regime. Therefore, every time the government changes, 'cleansing of deep-rooted evils' occurs. However, every action has a reaction. Approval ratings built easily collapse like a sandcastle."

He continued, "The biggest problem with politics looking at the past is that it has nothing to do with practical achievements," adding, "If the main focus is on the past, how can efforts be made to foresee the future and address necessary tasks? This is why governments that start off strong become embarrassed after about two years when they realize they have done nothing, and in their third or fourth year, they recklessly engage in legacy shopping."

Geum mentioned that he made similar remarks during the early days of the Moon Jae-in administration. He said, "In the early days of the Moon government, I repeatedly said, 'The only time you have the power to do something is about the first two years of the administration, so if you spend that time investigating the Park Geun-hye and MB administrations, when will we do what we need to do?' The response was, 'Are you saying we should cover up clear illegal acts?' The outcome, as everyone knows, was the evaluation that the Moon government did nothing."

He added, "I had similar concerns about the Yoon Seok-youl government, but most comments on the news were insults. The main tone was, 'Why are you defending Moon Jae-in?' This was not about siding with the Park Geun-hye or MB administrations during the early Moon government. It was a wish for the new government to do its job and receive good evaluations, and that remains the case now," he explained.

Furthermore, he said, "Those working in or supporting the Yoon government may believe that what they are doing now is qualitatively different from the Moon government's cleansing of deep-rooted evils, that they are only correcting truly illegal acts. But that was the case with every administration. No ruling power thinks it is engaging in political revenge. Even during the progressive Moon government, when constitutional and criminal procedure principles were abandoned to pressure the opposition, similar remarks were made. History repeats itself. It is a regrettable feeling," he concluded.

The Ministry of Industry Blacklist allegation refers to suspicions that in September 2017, early in the Moon Jae-in administration, the government pressured heads of public institutions under the Ministry of Industry, who still had remaining terms, to resign. Regarding the prosecution's investigation, the Democratic Party is protesting as 'political retaliation,' while the People Power Party states that it is "an investigation conducted according to law and principles."

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