Jo Eung-cheon "If 'Gaeddal' Texts Get Too Strong, They Backfire"

Jo Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) considered part of the Bimyeong (非明) faction, predicted that the text message bombardment from Lee Jae-myung, the DPK leader's hardline supporters, known as 'Gaeddal (Reform's Daughter),' might backfire, saying, "The intensity is quite strong, but it will probably have the opposite effect."

On the 2nd, Jo stated on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs,' "(The lawmakers receiving the texts) are likely to move toward the opposite side of the oppressors," expressing this view.

Following the vote on the arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, a wave of defections occurred within the Democratic Party, prompting the Gaeddal to conduct a 'defector identification' operation. Lawmakers suspected of casting defection votes are being bombarded with text messages from Gaeddal.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is observing the vote counting process of the arrest warrant against him at the 8th plenary session of the 403rd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Jo said, "Someone like me has endured this for seven years, so I have developed calluses and resilience, so it doesn't bother me at all," adding, "Some of the newcomers who face this for the first time are shocked and say, 'I cast a no vote,' but at first, they might be startled and intimidated, but if the intensity increases, it will probably have the opposite effect." he said.

He also expressed feeling personally humiliated by the text bombardment. He said, "When I see the incoming texts, I wonder if those targeting me and other lawmakers consider us as human beings," adding, "It feels like being forced to step on a cross." The 'stepping on the cross' was a method used during times when Christianity was persecuted to identify Christians.

The pro-Lee faction claims that this wave of defection was a 'trick' used after failing to negotiate guaranteed nomination rights. Regarding this, Jo said, "To be elected, one must go through two stages: the primary and the general election. If you only think about the primary, it is easier to cooperate with the current system," adding, "but just winning the primary does not guarantee winning the general election," he questioned.

He explained that the focus is on the general election rather than the nomination. He said, "Can the Democratic Party banner really guarantee competitiveness in the general election? That is the concern," adding, "The traces of that anguish were reflected in various ways during the vote on the arrest motion."

Regarding pro-Lee DPK lawmaker An Min-seok's suggestion to decide Lee's position through a full party member vote, Jo said, "If you say full party members, then only a minority will actually be willing to participate actively, and those people will be the ones sending texts and so on, so their intentions are obvious," adding, "In the past, when satellite parties were created or when candidates ran against party rules for Seoul and Busan mayoral elections, those decisions were also made by full party member votes," he criticized.

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