(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Kim Jeong-jin, Oh Gyu-jin, Choi Joo-seong, and Jeong Yeon-sol = The Democratic Party of Korea entered a virtual separation response mode on the 4th over candidates for Minister of Justice Kim Seung-won and Minister of Gender Equality and Family Yong Hye-in, who are the key figures in the personnel hearing following the cabinet reshuffle on August 30.
The Democratic Party appears to be withdrawing its public support for Candidate Yong, in line with the situation where public sentiment in the 2030s is noticeably accelerating due to the so-called "rapid success and double and triple preferential treatment" controversy (Rep. Song Young-gil).
On the other hand, they are mounting an all-out defense against candidate Kim, who is under the crossfire of the opposition party due to suspicions of solicitation of new drugs.
At the Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting held on this day, unlike floor leader Han Byeong-do and others who publicly supported candidate Kim, no public remarks were made about candidate Yong.
The Democratic Party did not issue any separate comments on Candidate Yong on this day.
The Democratic Party's 'distancing' from Candidate Yong appears to be taking into account the fact that public opinion toward Candidate Yong is not favorable, not only because they belong to different political parties.
In fact, in a Gallup Korea poll released on this day, President Lee's approval rating (40%) hit a new low since he took office due to the personnel controversy.
Furthermore, the approval rating for those in their 20s was 25%, the first 20% range, and the approval rating for those in their 30s also showed a sharp decline, recording 31%.
Candidate Yong was a card for unifying the progressive camp, but in reality, it is embarrassing for the Democratic Party that criticism continues not only from the progressive camp, such as the Justice Party, but also from the women's community.
In a phone call with Yonhap News, a senior lawmaker expressed concern, saying, "Wouldn't it be right to voluntarily resign (from the ministerial candidacy) quickly?" and "What will happen to the approval rating in 2030 if appointed as minister?"
However, the party leadership maintains the stance that President Lee's personnel rights in selecting candidate Yong must be respected.
In some quarters, there is also a feeling of frustration at the fact that there is no space for the party to step forward unless Candidate Yong himself makes a decision.
A leadership official in the National Assembly said, "Currently, it is not a situation where a resignation can be requested. There are some who think it would be good for the candidate to make the decision to step down from his position as a member of the National Assembly, but since the parties are different, it is up to him to decide."
Chief Spokesperson Park Seong-joon stated that Candidate Yong had not sought cooperation from the party regarding the hearing and drew a line, saying, “It would be good to ask questions to the candidate and the hearing preparation team (about Candidate Yong).”
On the other hand, the Democratic Party defines Candidate Kim's suspicion of soliciting approval for clinical trials for COVID-19 treatments as a 'political offensive by the opposition party' and is providing cover for Candidate Kim.
This was based on the judgment that the case could be sufficiently explained during the personnel hearing because the case was closed with a suspended indictment and no quid pro quo, such as receiving money or valuables, was confirmed.
It appears that the fact that Candidate Kim belongs to his own party and has a mission to complete prosecution reform through reform of the criminal justice system was also taken into consideration.
Floor leader Han Byeong-do actively defended Candidate Kim at the highest level in South Chungcheong Province on this day, saying, "The prosecution has already determined that it is difficult to conclude that the transmission of the civil complaint itself is an illegal solicitation, and Candidate Kim has filed a constitutional petition, saying that even the suspended indictment is unfair."
They criticized the People Power Party and its leader Jang Dong-hyuk, saying, "They have already branded (candidate Kim) as a criminal before the hearing and are continuing to criticize him in the style of 'the answer'" and "It is just pathetic that the representative of the main opposition party talked about bribery and prison based on unconfirmed suspicions."
Supreme Council member Han Min-soo pointed out that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is carrying out attacks against candidate Kim every day, is "turning legitimate legislative activities into improper solicitation."
He continued, "Bringing up a case that could not be indicted as if it were a new crime only proves that you still haven't gotten rid of the bad habits from your time as a political prosecutor."
Rep. Lee Kun-tae also held a separate press conference at the National Assembly refuting the People Power Party's offensive against candidate Kim.
Rep. Lee defined the investigation into Candidate Kim's alleged solicitation during the Yoon Seok-yeol regime as a "typical investigation to kill political opponents," and claimed, "(The People Power Party) uses provocative expressions such as bars and room salons to frame normal civil complaints as inappropriate private solicitations and brand Candidate Kim as if he has a moral flaw," and claimed it was "a typical political maneuver."
Even within the party, the prevailing opinion is that the controversy surrounding candidate Kim can be sufficiently overcome.
One leadership official expressed his thoughts, saying, “There is no big price to pay,” and “I don’t think it will be a problem.”
The Gallup Korea poll cited in the article was conducted on 1,001 people aged 18 or older on the 1st to 3rd. The survey was conducted using a telephone investigator interview method using randomly selected wireless telephone virtual numbers. The sampling error is ±3.1p at the 95% confidence level, the contact rate is 47.4%, and the response rate is 10.9%.
For more information, please refer to the National Election Opinion Survey Deliberation Committee website.
