Park Won-seok: President’s Role in Local Elections | 시사쇼

It is difficult to say that Min Joong-ki’s special prosecution was intentional or unintentional.
After the Daejeon-Chungnam administrative integration theory, Kang Hoon-sik gained strength to run for office.
The criticism of CEO Jang Dong-hyuk by senior officials is an ultimatum.

■ Broadcast: Asia Economy ‘So Jong-seop’s Current Affairs Show’ (Mon-Fri, 4-5 p.m.)

■ Host: So Jong-seop, political specialist ■ Directed by: PD Lee Mi-ri

■ Appearance: Park Won-seok, former Justice Party lawmaker (December 19)

So Jong-seop: The investigation into suspicions of receiving bribes from the Unification Church is progressing quickly. President Hak Ja Han’s former chief of staff was also investigated, and former Minister Jeon Jae-soo was also summoned for questioning. What do you think of the overall investigation flow and future developments?

Park Won-seok: First of all, they seem to be somewhat conscious of the controversy over the statute of limitations, and since some people keep talking about a special investigation, I think the police have a clear sense of purpose to achieve results from the investigation. The key is that other than the statement, there is no clear physical evidence or additional circumstances yet. Other than the claims of former Unification Church World Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho, no specific physical evidence is presented. There are some additional circumstances revealed. These people went and gave congratulatory speeches, or the Unification Church purchased books by these lawmakers, etc. We went to the election office and took pictures together… . This is additional circumstances, but there is still no direct physical evidence that money or valuables were received.

So, they are currently in the process of analyzing the search and seizure, and we will have to see if there is anything additional that comes out of it, or if the Unification Church Cheonjeonggung was searched and seized over two days, and what clues will come out of it. However, it is true that the investigation is progressing quickly and the scope of the investigation is expanding, but I do not think that any significant physical evidence has been revealed yet, and looking at the Gallup poll, public opinion that a special investigation should be conducted in this case is quite high. Public opinion views the problem of the Unification Church’s all-out lobbying against the political world very seriously, and seems to believe that a police investigation cannot guarantee the fairness of this investigation. It’s not just about the police speeding up, I think what’s important is what the results are.

So Jong-seop: If you look at the media, it’s President Han’s special report in 2018 and the TM schedule in 2019, and indeed, President Hak Ja Han’s schedule. The name Jeon Jae-su appeared there, and the police also identified the watch as a Bulgari watch. Isn’t there a possibility that the police may have secured more information than former Director Yoon’s statement?
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It seems like he also met with President Jae-Soo Jeon and Hak Ja Han. There is no evidence of money being exchanged.

Park Won-seok: It’s difficult to rule it out. First of all, if you look at the news coming out through media reports now, it is clear that ‘Congressman Jeon Jae-soo had quite frequent contact with the Unification Church.’ I think I also met President Hak Ja Han. That question was asked again today when I appeared, but I didn’t get an answer. Rep. Jeon Jae-soo of course has a protest against sending congratulatory messages or making congratulatory speeches at Unification Church events, or taking pictures with President Hak Ja Han’s books. Who would refuse to come to the election office during the election and take a picture? There is some truth to what the candidate said. A lot of those things happen and I experience them now. So, the Unification Church and I have no contact whatsoever. I don’t think this is the case, and there was considerable contact, but there is no evidence yet to show whether money or valuables were exchanged. The only thing that has come out now is ‘500 books were purchased from the Unification Church.’ Inside the Unification Church Traces of it appeared in the ledger, and it was also confirmed that the person who paid for it was former Director Yoon.

Jeon Jae-soo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is suspected of receiving bribes from the Unification Church, is appearing as part of the special investigation team of the National Investigation Headquarters of the Seodaemun-gu Police Agency in Seoul on the 19th. Reporter Kang Jin-hyung

So Jong-seop: There was also testimony from someone who saw the stacked books.

Park Won-seok: Rep. Jeon Jae-soo asks what the problem is because the purchase was made legally through a publisher and a tax invoice was even issued, but it could be a problem. Buying books at book launch events is a bit of a blind spot in political fund laws. In fact, if the political fund law is strictly applied, all of this could become a problem, but as a practice, it was outside the scope of application of the political fund law. If the investigative authorities see that the Unification Church purchased Rep. Jeon Jae-soo’s books in such large quantities for a specific purpose, it could be seen as a bribery crime. The watch has not been found yet. I don’t think it’s easy to find because it’s such an old thing, but since Rep. Jeon Jae-soo denies all the facts, it remains to be seen how much the investigation team can prove. The statement of former Director Yoon, who can be seen as a donor, is a bit shaky. At first, he said he gave it to him, but later he said he heard or saw it, and then he continues to deny it.

So Jong-seop: The statute of limitations issue is also sensitive, right?

Jeon Jae-soo, even if he is indicted, it will be difficult for him to run for Busan mayor.

Park Won-seok: Judging from the details in the warrant, I think it is considered a bribe. Beyond violating the political fund law, it is believed that he requested a favor for the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel and paid a bribe for it. Bribes are also considered criminal law if the value is less than 30 million won. The statute of limitations is 7 years, so there isn’t much left. If the amount exceeds 30 million won, bribery is applied under the Special Price Act. It’s been 10 years. So, it is said that how much a Bulgari watch costs is very important. He has already quit his job as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries and has suffered a significant political blow. I think the key is whether he will be punished for this. If it gets to the punishment stage, that is, even if he is indicted, it will be realistically difficult to run for mayor of Busan.

So Jong-seop: In the case of the statute of limitations issue, isn’t this somehow related to the issue of Min Joong-ki’s special prosecution?

Park Won-seok: So what I really don’t understand is that the special prosecutor received a confession of this crime from a suspect named Yoon Young-ho. Crime information was collected. However, at the same time, they received criminal information of person A, Kwon Seong-dong, and information of person B, Jeon Jae-su, etc., but the investigation was conducted to say that only A was included in the scope of investigation, and B was covered up by saying that he was not a subject of investigation because he was not included in the scope of investigation. Even if I conceded 100 times and said it was possible, then I should have transferred it immediately. It is difficult for anyone to see that the fact that this was left unattended for 4 months and then passed on with a case number only after it began to be reported in the media was intentional or intentional. So there is talk of abuse of power and dereliction of duty, and this has now been transferred to the Corruption Investigation Office. What I am worried about is whether the Corruption Investigation Office will properly investigate. There are very few cases that the Corruption Investigation Office has investigated and resulted in indictment.

So Jong-seop: President Lee Jae-myung raised the theory of administrative integration between Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province. It is inevitable that next year’s local elections will be affected.

After the theory of administrative integration between Daejeon and Chungnam, ‘Kang Hoon-sik’s theory of running for office’ gained strength.

Park Won-seok: There is no difference of opinion between the ruling and opposition parties. In fact, as you mentioned, the opposition party has been more active in this regard. A bill has already been introduced. And Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo and Governor Kim Tae-heum have declared this regardless of whether the law is passed in the National Assembly. On top of that, the president added one more trick. Let’s do it before next year’s local elections. We have now received one more advantage by saying, “Let’s elect a person who will be the integrated special mayor of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province during next year’s local elections.” First of all, I look at it positively.

But did the president throw this out for no reason? There is an interpretation that some kind of political plan is involved here ahead of next year’s local elections.So, there is an interpretation in some quarters that a new local election structure in the Daejeon and South Chungcheong regions is being planned with Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik at the center. I think that kind of interpretation could come out. And they don’t wave their hands at it in their passports. From that perspective, it seems like it has a certain purpose. The opposition party will be nervous about that.It is a situation where there is no choice but to think again, and the People Power Party may also say that other alternatives than the existing two people, Tae-heum Kim and Jang-woo Lee, are needed.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs work report held at the Ministry of Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 18th. Yonhap News

So Jong-seop: President Lee Jae-myung appears to be leading the election campaign ahead of next year’s local elections. What do you think?

Park Won-seok: Well, I can see that kind of trend. Especially now, through the format of the business report, it appears that the president is actually jumping into local elections. Not long ago, when we talked about health insurance related to hair loss, this was a presidential pledge in the past. There is also an interpretation that the fact that no action was taken against him after his inauguration and then he threw it out through a work report was partly due to the election. There are a lot of work reports left to be done in the future, and in fact, I think the President has the potential to take the lead through work reports, especially in the case of election agendas and policies.

Isn’t the president ultimately able to promote and disappoint candidates through such events as business reports or town hall meetings? Of course, if it is too blatant, the side effects can be significant. There may be talk within the party that this is too much intervention, and the party should be able to compete on its own, but instead, the president just organizes such competition at the beginning. It may be effective, but there may also be side effects, but President Lee Jae-myung is not a person who cannot control the pace. So naturally, the president is emerging at the center of local elections. The opposition party must be very nervous. Moreover, the opposition party is not in very good shape right now. It would be difficult if the president rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward when the situation was not very good.

So Jong-seop: It is a hot topic because former representative Han Dong-hoon and former candidate Kim Moon-soo met at a meeting and took a love shot.

Kim Moon-soo and Han Dong-hoon love shot, the actual influence is questionable, but it may have helped former CEO Han

Park Won-seok: I asked. They said they didn’t know they would come. During the last presidential election Former Minister Kim Moon-soo and former Representative Han Dong-hoon faced off fiercely in the finals. However, there was not as much emotional residue left as expected, especially on the part of candidate Kim Moon-soo, who now has such interpretations. And since Minister Kim Moon-soo has a somewhat simple side in his personality, For a party to succeed, future politicians with diverse competitiveness must be in the party, but I think they are looking very negatively at the idea of cutting them out from within the party.

But does this have any real impact? This is because former Minister Kim Moon-soo does not have a single active member of the National Assembly. The last national convention was also held without active lawmakers. Of course, there is still a certain amount of influence over Kim Moon-soo among party members, but active lawmakers are very important. In that respect, there is an interpretation that the influence will be very limited. Nevertheless, it must have been a significant psychological consolation or encouragement to former CEO Han Dong-hoon.

It is said that those positions are now held by former and current party council chairmen, but there are some who have stepped down, but there are also those who are currently in charge of the party council, and many of them are from Kim Moon-soo’s side. There is nothing bad about it because it created an opportunity to change the relationship between those people and former CEO Han Dong-hoon. But now, some say that a force has been formed that can bring about the collapse of the Jang Dong-hyuk regime by forming a coalition using this, but that seems to be an exaggerated interpretation.

So Jong-seop: The so-called ‘dangge controversy’ still persists in the People Power Party.

An opportunity for the opposition party to take the lead, leader Jang Dong-hyuk was cut.

Park Won-seok: The problem is CEO Jang Dong-hyuk. Looking at the content used as the basis for disciplinary action against former supreme council member Kim Jong-hyuk, doesn’t the democratic party even make such criticism? In a way, the opposition party had various bad news from the ruling party and there were opportunities and opportunities for the opposition party to take the lead, but Representative Jang Dong-hyuk is cutting that trend.

Isn’t that right? In the past, due to Yoon Seok-yeol’s visit, there were various negative issues at the time, starting with the opposition party’s real estate measures, but they buried that and brought Yoon Seok-yeol’s visit to the forefront of the issue. What is it again this time? They were not able to properly respond to things like giving up on the Daejang-dong appeal, and in fact, Han Dong-hoon seemed to have a bigger presence there, and the special prosecutor of the Unification Church is also dispersing the issue by disciplining Kim Jong-hyuk.

So, there are some who point out that he is the one who is doing the internal shooting right now. So, there is no rationality in my own disciplinary action, and it is a bit disgusting that the family and the family of former CEO Han Dong-hoon have used such things over the issue of the party member bulletin board, but that is a thing of the past. And it was directed at Yoon Seok-yeol and Kim Geon-hee. It’s hard to see that it’s such a huge act, and the end result is that they’re going to do something about it. Strictly speaking, is there any evidence that Han Dong-hoon ordered it? If you discipline someone for that and take it to court for a preliminary injunction, there is a high possibility that you will be cited. Representative Jang Dong-hyuk is currently making various demands on himself within the party, but isn’t he moving in the opposite direction?

Jang Dong-hyuk, representative of the People Power Party, speaks at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Reporter Kim Hyeon-min

So Jong-seop: Recently, even leading lawmakers from Yeongnam have been voicing criticism.

Criticism from senior lawmakers should be viewed as an ultimatum.

Park Won-seok: I see it as an ultimatum. I’m not going to wait any longer. now It is an indicator that can be seen to show how serious public opinion is. But why is CEO Jang Dong-hyuk not aware of this? ‘‘One internal enemy is scarier than 50 external enemies.’ That story is more important to me. The expression is the same now.

It’s completely nonsense. Then we won’t be able to break through this political situation.

So Jong-seop: How do you view the political moves and choices of former CEO Han Dong-hoon and Lee Jun-seok?

Park Won-seok: Former CEO Han Dong-hoon is a bit frustrating. So maybe it’s to look at the political clock longer. You are open to the possibility of running in local elections or by-elections, but will it be easy to get nominated within the party? If CEO Jang Dong-hyuk’s system collapses and dramatic changes come, possibilities will open up, but otherwise, it will not be easy, and former CEO Han Dong-hoon and his close friends seem to be taking a long view. I think the New Reform Party probably won’t be too greedy. In the 3-4 member constituency of the local election basic council I think the actual goal is to achieve certain results.

So Jong-seop, political specialist [email protected]