The Democratic Party Defends Kwon Chil-seung... Lee Raekyung Says "Cheonan Ship Sinking Cause Unknown"

The aftermath surrounding the appointment of Lee Raekyung, chairman of Other Hundred Years, as the Innovation Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea shows no signs of subsiding. Chairman Lee shared a column claiming that the "'Cheonan ship self-destruction theory' is an exaggerated expression and 'cause unknown,'" asserting that the criticism against him is a 'witch hunt,' signaling his intention to engage in a public opinion battle. Democratic Party figures have come to defend Kwon Chilseung, the chief spokesperson, who caused controversy by making abusive remarks toward former Cheonan ship captain Choi Wonil, saying, "How dare you say that after killing all your subordinates?"

On the 7th, Kim Youngjin, the Democratic Party's Chief Political Coordination Officer, defended Kwon on YTN's 'News King with Park Jihoon,' saying, "What Chief Spokesperson Kwon said was meant to share the pain and suffering of the Cheonan ship bereaved families, survivors, and soldiers, and within that context, he implied that the captain should feel a greater responsibility."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chief Spokesperson Kwon, when criticized for his abusive remarks toward former Captain Choi, who protested Chairman Lee's 'Cheonan ship self-destruction theory,' saying, "How dare you say that? It's absurd after killing all your subordinates," explained, "It stemmed from the thought that commanders who should share responsibility are on a different level." Kim's remarks align with Kwon's explanation.

Democratic Party Supreme Council member Seo Eun-sook also said on BBS's 'Jeon Youngshin's Morning Journal,' "Spokesperson Kwon is 100% convinced that the Cheonan ship incident was caused by North Korean attack. Naturally, I think it would have been better if he had emphasized this fact to everyone again when making his remarks," adding, "If he had spoken about the commander's responsibility and humility on this basis, some misunderstandings could have been avoided." Her remarks suggest that the controversy surrounding Kwon's comments is merely a misunderstanding.

Supreme Council member Jang Kyung-tae also said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "I understand that (the reporters) just followed him, and he made those remarks as a kind of muttering to himself," adding, "Anyway, we have all served in the military, and I hope he felt some sense of responsibility as a commander. There was a truly noble sacrifice of precious soldiers, and I hope he felt responsible for that. His remarks were just a bit harshly expressed on his own." He emphasized that it was not abusive language but a strong statement emphasizing responsibility.

He added, "It was not an official briefing, and as soldiers, we bear responsibility for failures in vigilance or various invasions. For example, if a deserter appears or a North Korean soldier crosses the DMZ, the commander is dismissed from their post. So, I hope he felt that level of responsibility for command authority."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee, who caused controversy by claiming the 'Cheonan ship self-destruction theory' and 'COVID-19 originated in the U.S.' theory and announced his resignation from the Innovation Committee Chair position, shared a column titled 'The Unbearable Lightness of the Witch Hunt' on social media on the 6th, saying, "I thank Editor Kim Hokyung of Mindeulle, who expressed my feelings better than I could."

This was a veiled expression that the media coverage against him was a 'witch hunt.' In his resignation statement, he also raised his voice, saying, "I deeply regret that the judgments and opinions held by the signatory have become the target of witch-hunt-style political strife." On the morning of the same day, through a statement sent to the media, he emphasized, "'Self-destruction' was an exaggerated expression momentarily made by me, a businessman rather than an expert, and my position is that it is an 'incident of unknown cause.'"

Regarding his past contribution to Pressian, where he claimed the 'COVID-19 originated in the U.S.' theory, he stated, "It is clear that Wuhan is the 'ecocenter' that spread COVID-19 worldwide," but emphasized, "However, the center of spread and the origin of the virus should be separated." He maintained his hypothesis that Wuhan, China, is only the 'center of spread,' while the 'virus origin' is the United States.

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