Shin Won-sik, who said "Moon Jae-in's neck"... "Regret excessive expression during wild days"

2016 Impeachment Candlelight Rally "There Were Numerous False Incitement Rallies"

Shin Won-sik, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, stated on the 25th regarding the candlelight rallies for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016, "I believe there were numerous candlelight rallies based on false provocations, such as the mad cow disease beef controversy and opposition to THAAD."

On the same day, Shin responded in a written answer submitted to Jeong Seong-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Previously, he had used expressions like "treason" and "a faction that destroyed the continuity of the Republic of Korea" to describe the 2016 candlelight rallies at far-right gatherings.

Regarding a question about President Moon Jae-in's achievements as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Shin stated, "Despite being the commander-in-chief, I believe he endangered the nation's security." Concerning remarks implying that a retired general intended to "cut off the head" of the sitting head of state, he said, "Those remarks were made in a personal capacity during my civilian life, and I regret some of the excessive expressions," but reiterated, "I believe the Moon Jae-in administration's defense policies had a very negative impact on our national defense."

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@

Earlier, in September 2019, Shin had made a statement at a Taegeukgi rally saying, "It is only a matter of time before Moon Jae-in's head is cut off."

Regarding his comments about December 12 and May 16 being acts of saving the country or revolutions, he said, "I did not endorse the coups," and added, "I fully support the Supreme Court's final rulings and the government's official stance on May 16 and December 12."

In response to a written question from Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, asking him to introduce efforts made to improve corruption within the military, Shin stated, "Through thorough mental warfare education and practical, rigorous training, I promoted unit harmony and solidarity and enhanced comradeship among unit members," and added, "In this process, various types of military camp diagnoses and communication activities were conducted to naturally eliminate corruption."

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