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As South Korea’s 2024 common election nears, the ruling Folks Energy Get together (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Get together (DP) are bracing for a bitter race.
For now, the prospects favor the liberal DP, headed by Lee Jae-myung, which at present holds sufficient seats within the legislature to stymie any strikes by President Yoon Suk-yeol of the PPP. The DP’s landslide victory towards the PPP in October’s Gangseo District by-election places them in an advantageous place heading into the April 2024 election.
Nonetheless, the opposition social gathering has its personal hurdles. Lee nonetheless faces a prison investigation over graft and several other different fees. Likewise, whereas Yoon’s approval ranking continues to falter, the DP has largely didn’t construct a unified entrance towards the president. As such, some are questioning whether or not Lee may lead his staff to victory in April and, extra crucially, within the 2027 presidential election.
Amid uncertainties, political outcasts that have been as soon as high-profile members of the DP are trying comebacks. One such determine is Music Younger-gil, former head of the DP, mayor of Incheon, and a five-time elected lawmaker.
Music lately vowed to kind a brand new social gathering to carry down Yoon and his clique. Regardless of the paucity of concrete actions, his willingness to combat appears to have caught the eye of DP voters. Whether or not Music’s speak will manifest in motion is unclear, nevertheless it actually carries the potential to shake up the DP’s electoral panorama and Lee’s calculus come April.
Earlier this month, Music spoke to The Diplomat about his election methods and why he believes Yoon shouldn’t be match to run the nation.
Over the past presidential election, you mentioned you gained’t run within the 2024 common election. However you appear to have modified your thoughts these days. Are you able to clarify?
To make clear, I mentioned that I had no intention of working in my Gyeyang District in Incheon. After all, this was contingent on Lee Jae-myung, then-presidential candidate from the Democratic Get together (DP), popping out victorious within the race. However Lee misplaced to Yoon – albeit by a razor-thin 0.7 level margin – so my plans have modified since. Gyeyang District remains to be off the checklist of potentialities, however I would run as a proportional illustration candidate.
Whereas the DP at present holds a majority within the legislature, it has misplaced momentum and largely deserted its responsibility to test the ruling PPP and the chief department. If I may assist the DP preserve its dominance within the Nationwide Meeting and kind a stronger coalition towards the president, I’m ready to take action in no matter capability.
Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk appears to be vying for a seat within the legislature. So is Lee Jun-seok, former chief of the PPP. You spoke to the press about doubtlessly forming a brand new social gathering and partnering with Cho and Lee if want be. Are you able to elaborate?
If I find yourself creating a brand new social gathering, the target will likely be to oust President Yoon. I believe the president has exemplified repeatedly his incompetence in main the nation, to not point out the current failure to host the 2030 Expo and his ruinous financial insurance policies. That is on prime of myriad allegations of prison actions by the president and his household. The incumbent administration, I imagine, has run its course.
A partnership doesn’t essentially imply I’ll be working hand-in-hand with Cho or Lee. If their views align with mine, say, in constructing a coalition towards the incumbent chief, we are able to compartmentalize and work in direction of a standard objective.
Why do you assume President Yoon shouldn’t be match to run the nation?
By filling authorities businesses, his ruling social gathering, and the presidential workplace with a “pro-Yoon prosecutorial clique,” the president has successfully constructed a “republic of prosecutors.” The most recent instance is the appointment of Kim Hong-il, former chief of the anti-corruption company, as chairperson of the Korea Communications Fee.
This clique, working underneath the auspices of President Yoon, has debilitated South Korea’s democratic norms by wielding their authority to protect the president and his household from prison liabilities, suppress press freedom, and shut down opponents and dissenters.
Take, as an illustration, a few of the accusations leveled towards President Yoon and the primary woman. When Yoon was the prosecutor-general, he’s mentioned to have colluded with and ordered the pro-Yoon prosecutorial clique to sue rating member politicians and journalists proper earlier than the 2020 common election. In the meantime, the primary woman is accused of gaining outsized income by means of manipulating Deutsche Motors inventory costs. These are all indictable offenses, however the investigation has utterly ceased because of the president’s systematic obstruction. It’s going to now require a particular counsel to renew the case.
The Yoon administration can be intensifying media crackdowns, particularly towards these investigating the president’s delinquencies. In September, prosecutors raided and confiscated proof from the workplaces of the net outlet Information Tapa and cable community JTBC for investigating President Yoon’s potential involvement in an actual property corruption scheme. Extra lately, the prosecutors sought to re-arrest an unbiased journalist probing Yoon’s alleged misconduct involving manipulating proof throughout [former President] Park Geun-hye’s impeachment investigation.
Forming a brand new social gathering is likely to be seen as stirring division inside the liberal camp heading into the election. What do you say to those that criticize you for it?
If our proportional illustration system reverts to the previous “parallel” system, there’s no motive for me to enter the race or create a brand new social gathering. However with the present “interlocking” system, my initiatives, if something, will assist increase liberal forces and preserve dominance within the legislature.
My new social gathering can be a proportional illustration social gathering, largely composed of proportional illustration candidates. Thus, it’s unlikely that these candidates would compete with the DP for a seat within the district race. Even when they determine to run within the district race, we are going to encourage them to unify their candidacy with DP candidates. So, we’re not “robbing” any seats from the DP or, in a bigger sense, the left.
You’re at present underneath investigation for an alleged “cash-for-vote scandal.” Would you wish to remark?
The gist of the allegation is that, in the course of the Democratic Get together conference in Might 2021, my acquaintances and social gathering associates funneled cash (about 60 million gained or $45,000) to some two dozen lawmakers to get me elected as social gathering chief.
Instances regarding public elections normally have a six-month statute of limitation and are sometimes resolved inside that time-frame. However this was an intra-party conference, so election legal guidelines don’t apply. Due to this fact, the prosecution deemed the incident, which allegedly occurred greater than two years in the past at a political conference that allows way more leeway than an election, to be “corruption.”
Whereas the entire occasion transpired with out my information, I take full political accountability. So instantly after such a report got here out, I give up my professorship in France, returned to Korea, and withdrew my social gathering membership. However legally talking, I ought to be absolved of all fees.
However, the Seoul Central Prosecution Workplace has dragged out the investigation for seven months with none cheap suspicion. They went so far as to problem a subpoena for questioning and filed a movement for my arrest warrant on December 13.
[Editor’s note: Song was arrested on December 18 after the Seoul Central District Court issued his arrest warrant.]
You declare that the pending investigation is unjust. How so? Will it affect your bid subsequent April?
Basically, the prosecutors are much less involved about scrutinizing my case however are as a substitute specializing in peripheral issues, similar to summoning folks round me and raiding a civic group I’m affiliated with. They’re alleging that funds tied to civic teams have been illicitly funneled to help my political actions. In South Korea, we name this tactic a “pretextual investigation,” whereby the prosecutors strain and probe my environment to induce damaging testimonies towards me.
Given the timeline of the investigation that overlaps with the election interval, I can not rule out the unfavorable affect of the investigation totally. If the prosecution decides to strategically wield its authority, and if the media paints a grim image in consequence, it should actually damage my marketing campaign.
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