Criticism Floods Within Democratic Party Over Min Hyung-bae's Departure... "Fearful of Public Perception"

Min Hyung-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted his resignation from the party on the 20th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Min Hyung-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has sparked criticism within the party after abruptly leaving to push for 'Geomsu Wanbak' (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority).

On the 21st, Representative Lee So-young sent a letter to Democratic Party members, calling Min's departure "a blatantly obvious loophole" and stating, "Although there have been criticisms that appointing a lawmaker close to the Democratic Party as a member of the agenda adjustment committee undermines the intent of the National Assembly Act, there has never been a precedent where a bona fide Democratic Party member leaves the party to meet the numbers."

Lee criticized Min by citing the purpose of establishing the agenda adjustment committee. She said, "The agenda adjustment committee was created to eliminate the backward practices of hasty lawmaking and physical clashes by encouraging the ruling and opposition parties to deliberate and adjust their differences," adding, "It is wrong for us, as legislators, to undermine the intent of the laws we created ourselves and forcibly push through loopholes." She further emphasized, "No matter how just the purpose, we legislators should not justify or tolerate the use of loopholes."

She also compared the Democratic Party's push for Geomsu Wanbak legislation to the satellite party formation during the 2020 general election. Lee said, "Even if the purpose of separating investigation and prosecution is legitimate, the current situation is no different from the satellite party formation two years ago," adding, "I am not confident in explaining to the public that this is the right thing to do." She continued, "When we make choices we are not proud of, the public is disappointed in us," and "I believe we were painfully judged in two consecutive elections as a result of such choices. We must not repeat the same mistake again."

Representative Park Yong-jin viewed Min's departure as a trick to pass the agenda adjustment committee. On his Facebook that day, he said, "At first, they tried to bring in the Justice Party but failed, then replaced Representative Yang Hyang-ja but failed again, and now they are trying to pass the agenda adjustment committee by having Min Hyung-bae leave the party," calling it "not a clever move but a trick."

Park urged, "The public sees that the Democratic Party is crossing the line right now," and added, "The more urgent it is, the more you should take the long way. Please return to the broad path of public consensus."

Representative Cho Eung-cheon, known as a principled member within the party, also expressed concern, saying, "I am afraid of the public's gaze." On CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' he said, "There is a saying that democracy collapses without procedural legitimacy," and added, "During the presidential election period, candidate Lee Jae-myung apologized and reflected several times regarding satellite parties. But now, after such a short time, they are recklessly pushing through this departure. I am worried about what the public will think."

Cho viewed the Geomsu Wanbak legislation as not an urgent issue. He said, "The public is struggling not only with COVID-19 but also with the economic crisis, exchange rates, interest rates, and soaring raw material prices due to the Ukraine war. But those issues have been completely sidelined. Has any of that been resolved? Moreover, I have never seen the transition committee of President-elect Yoon Seok-youl present a blueprint on how to manage the government for the next five years. There are many personnel issues now, so is this (Geomsu Wanbak) really such a fierce and urgent matter?"

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