The Pandora's Box Opened by Choo Mi-ae... Moon, Lee Nak-yeon, and

Ministry of Justice Minister's Resignation Backstory Revealed, Opposition Stirred
Choo Mi-ae: "Moon, Party Demands (Resignation)"
Subtly Diverging Atmosphere Within the Democratic Party

"Former leader Lee Nak-yeon (Democratic Party of Korea) shouldn't do it that way."

The message delivered by former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who appeared on KBS's 'The Live' on the 3rd, is something that will shake the Democratic Party of Korea. More than the fact that she expressed disappointment regarding former leader Lee Nak-yeon, the background is what deserves attention.

This is not an issue that can be confined to a personal emotional matter between politician Choo Mi-ae and politician Lee Nak-yeon. The political stance of the Democratic Party regarding prosecutorial reform and the internal currents within the party concerning the then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's system are reflected in former Minister Choo Mi-ae's remarks. This is intertwined with the political responsibility debate within the Democratic Party surrounding the launch of the Yoon Seok-youl administration.

The behind-the-scenes story of politician Choo Mi-ae's resignation as Minister of Justice could lead to opening the Pandora's box hidden within the Democratic Party. In fact, the content revealed by former Minister Choo Mi-ae is causing embarrassment to both former President Moon Jae-in and former leader Lee Nak-yeon. Former Minister Choo Mi-ae has already hinted that her resignation as Minister of Justice was not her true intention.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She disclosed that she recognized that former President Moon Jae-in hoped for her resignation. Former Minister Choo Mi-ae explained, "(Former President Moon Jae-in) didn't so much urge me to resign as he asked me to step down," adding, "He was exercising his authority, his legal authority."

Former Minister Choo Mi-ae said, "The minister who worked hard should step down. That was the gist of his words, as someone with authority," and added, "(Former President Moon) said the party was making the request."

The key point is that the party was making the request. Regarding this, former Minister Choo Mi-ae expressed regret, saying, "(Then Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon) shouldn't have said that I should step down because of the by-elections." The implication is that it was inappropriate to demand her resignation from the Minister of Justice position for the sake of the by-elections.

Former Minister Choo Mi-ae criticized, "The party leader who had served as Prime Minister was not graceful. He was rough. He kept saying such things." The party leader who had served as Prime Minister refers to former leader Lee Nak-yeon. This indicates that former leader Lee Nak-yeon played a role in the process of the Minister of Justice's resignation.

When the claim that former President Moon Jae-in demanded the resignation of the Minister of Justice surfaced, the Blue House at the time did not hide its embarrassment. Former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-sung criticized, "She said she was quitting the ministerial post on her own will, so it doesn't make sense to say now that former President Moon told her to quit."

Regarding this, former Minister Choo Mi-ae said, "I understand that the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs should protect the president and that he might say such things," but added, "However, I'm sorry, but the Senior Secretary was not present at that meeting." She explained that former Senior Secretary Choi Jae-sung was not present during the conversation with former President Moon Jae-in.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Minister Choo Mi-ae said, "By dismissing me and retaining Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the signal that the conservative media set?that Choo Mi-ae was being ousted for some political purpose?was actually strengthened."

She described the situation at the time as "just being isolated and abandoned."

The Democratic Party is unsettled by former Minister Choo Mi-ae's successive revelations. Former lawmaker Shin Kyung-min appeared on KBS1 Radio's 'Joo Jin-woo's Live' on the 3rd and said, "It seems that former leader Lee Nak-yeon played a decisive role in the dismissal of former Minister Choo Mi-ae, but that's not true."

Former lawmaker Shin Kyung-min added, "I don't know how to prove such claims now. Continuing like this is not desirable for the future of the Democratic Party. I can guess what former Minister Choo Mi-ae is trying to do, but this method is not right."

The Lee Nak-yeon faction is cautious about the spread of political responsibility debates. With former leader Lee Nak-yeon preparing to fully engage in politics after returning to the country, they want to avoid being caught up in past issues.

The behind-the-scenes story surrounding the resignation of the Minister of Justice is also unwelcome for the Lee Jae-myung faction. To solidify the leadership of Representative Lee Jae-myung, party unity is essential, and if political responsibility debates spread, it will inevitably lead to internal confrontations within the party.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-jin said on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' on the 4th, "Personnel matters between the president and the Minister of Justice are actually confidential, and it doesn't seem appropriate to discuss them publicly."

The problem is that many people have started paying attention to the behind-the-scenes story surrounding the resignation of the Minister of Justice due to former Minister Choo Mi-ae's remarks. Why former Minister Choo Mi-ae resigned and who played what role in the process will likely remain political interests going forward. It remains to be seen in which direction the political repercussions of opening Pandora's box will flow.

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