'Rough Mouth' Shin Won-sik's Past Remarks Ignite Fire... Ruling and Opposition Parties Brace for Fierce Hearing Clash

與 "A Rational and Fair Person"
野 "'Minister Who Says 'Moon's Neck'? Feeling of Self-Disgust"
Shin Won-sik "Will Clarify Position at the Hearing"

Controversy is arising over past remarks made by Shin Won-sik, the nominee for Minister of National Defense. He has sparked debate with harsh criticisms and far-right statements about former presidents, such as "It is only a matter of time before we cut off Moon Jae-in's head" and "The candlelight protests that led to President Park Geun-hye's downfall were lies."

The Democratic Party of Korea points out that Shin is not suitable for the position of Minister of National Defense, which requires political neutrality. On the other hand, the People Power Party has come to his defense, arguing that one past remark should not define the whole person.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee So-young said in a CBS Radio interview, "I question whether we really need to appoint someone like this as a cabinet member and make the public feel bitter," adding, "I saw comments saying, 'Why do people have to live in a country where someone like this is a minister?' Even ruling party lawmakers seem flustered when asked if nominating him was the right decision. That’s the atmosphere I sense in the National Assembly."

On the 15th, Shin Won-sik, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, answered reporters' questions as he arrived at the hearing preparation team's office in the Army Hall. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

Lee criticized, "Many People Power Party lawmakers say it’s okay because these remarks were made when he was a civilian, but the problem is turning a civilian who makes such statements into a public official," and added, "He became famous in 2019 at the Taegeukgi rallies saying 'We will cut off heads,' yet despite knowing this, the People Power Party made him a proportional representative. Do we really have to make someone like this a minister?"

Gom Min-jeong, another lawmaker from the same party, also criticized in a YTN Radio interview, "Just based on a few remarks, Shin is already unqualified," and said, "It makes me feel ashamed that we have to serve such people as high-ranking officials representing this country," calling it "not a reshuffle but a deterioration."

Previously, Shin sparked controversy in 2019 by saying at a rally led by Jeon Kwang-hoon, a far-right pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, "It is only a matter of time before we cut off Moon Jae-in's head." In a video uploaded the same year on the YouTube channel 'Neomanmolla TV,' he openly disparaged former presidents, saying, "The first devil who gave birth to the devil called Moon Jae-in today was Roh Moo-hyun, who became president."

Meanwhile, he described the December 12 coup by the Shin-gunbu (new military group) led by Chun Doo-hwan as 'an attempt to save the country,' and also argued that the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye was unjust.

The ruling party defends Shin’s remarks as those made during his civilian days and emphasizes his expertise in defense policy. People Power Party lawmaker Choi Hyung-doo said on CBS Radio, "It was a Taegeukgi rally; don’t you have an idea what kind of rally that was? There is TPO (time, place, occasion)," adding, "Everyone has words and thoughts at certain times, and no one can stop that."

He continued, "Especially with the recent North Korea-Russia summit and the situation being very serious, the government must have carefully chosen someone who can strengthen the quarantine system without any gaps at this time. I think the public should watch how Shin explains himself." He also evaluated Shin, saying, "I worked with him in the National Assembly for about three years, and he is reasonably rational and quite fair in his speech."

Meanwhile, Shin has stated his intention to explain his harsh criticisms of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in during the confirmation hearing.

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