Gidongmin: "'Supreme Dignity' Expression Used for Mockery and Jeering... I Am the One Who Should Receive an Apology"

Assemblyman Jo Jeonghun of Sidae Jeonhwan Refutes Criticism via SNS

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Ki Dong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized Jo Jeong-hoon of the Transition Korea party for calling out the use of the expression ‘choego joneom’ (highest dignity) during a National Assembly audit, labeling it an ‘extreme right-wing worldview.’ He claimed that Jo tried to use Ki’s specific expression to reveal his conservative tendencies.

On the 18th, Ki introduced the controversy surrounding the expression ‘choego joneom’ that occurred the previous day through social media (SNS) and demanded an apology from Jo.

The transcript released by Ki is as follows.

"Isn’t the life of the people the top priority? One person was brutally harmed by North Korean soldiers, and this is a matter where the ‘choego joneom’ even issued an official apology. In a situation where thousands of citizens could have suffered a great disaster without knowing the cause, how can the minister say he will maintain his decision? If such an incident happens, as a minister, protecting the safety and lives of the people should be the top priority, and that judgment should come first. Isn’t that the proper answer from the minister?"

Regarding this, Ki explained, "Despite the Gangneung Hyunmoo missile misfire accident, the ATACMS was launched again in less than two hours," adding, "If the safety and lives of the people were prioritized, such a decision should not have been made. I only criticized the Minister of National Defense with that intention."

Jo raised an issue with Ki’s use of the expression ‘choego joneom’ during this process. In response, Ki said, "‘Choego joneom’ was a term of mockery and derision," and pointed out, "Jo cleverly distorted the phrase ‘the person called choego joneom even issued an official apology’ into ‘the highest dignity of North Korea issued an official apology.’"

Ki stated, "Jo cut out the context of the remarks and selectively picked the word ‘choego joneom’ to distort it as if defending North Korea," adding, "It is merely an extreme right-wing worldview that even expressions of mockery and derision should not be used."

He said, "I appreciate the willingness to uncover the substantive truth of the incident. However, if someone uses a specific expression as a basis to frame others as pro-North Korean, that crosses the line of common sense and rationality," and clarified, "This is clearly the spread of false information and defamation."

Furthermore, he said, "Having a conservative identity is a person’s freedom," but added, "However, that should be done through self-confession. To claim ‘I am actually conservative,’ one should not make others appear as supporters of the North Korean regime."

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