Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Ji-won on the 31st made a remark that seemed to criticize former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, saying “(Cho Kuk) was sleeping and suddenly (became a politician and) made a big mess.” On this day, Rep. Park made a Facebook post saying “If the prosecution pushes through with the indictment against my wife, I will have no choice but to take responsibility as a husband,” referring to the prosecutors’ investigation into allegations that Rep. Park’s wife, Kim Kyeong-suk, illegally intervened in a prosecution probe. In the post, Rep. Park also mentioned, “If they (the prosecution) go through with the cancellation of the indictment, it will be a fiasco for them,” which seemed to imply that if the prosecution cancels the indictment, it will only end in embarrassment for them. However, Rep. Park’s remark about Cho Kuk drew more attention. When asked by a reporter about his remark, Rep. Park said, “I was just making a remark that can be commonly said in everyday life. I didn’t mean anything in particular.” However, Rep. Park’s remark was made on the same day that Rep. Lee Hae-chan, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, made a remark that seemed to criticize Cho Kuk, saying, “If there are any remaining issues with Cho Kuk, they should be resolved within the party.” Earlier on the 30th, Rep. Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also made a remark that seemed to take distance from Cho Kuk, saying, “The party and Cho Kuk are separate.” It appears that Rep. Park’s remark was made in a similar context, and it seems that some within the Democratic Party of Korea are trying to distance themselves from Cho Kuk. Rep. Park’s remark sparked controversy, and some on social media criticized Rep. Park, saying, “It seems that some lawmakers are trying to distance themselves from Cho Kuk.” On the other hand, some supporters of Cho Kuk expressed discomfort with Rep. Park’s remark, saying, “It seems that Rep. Park is trying to take a swipe at Cho Kuk.” Cho Kuk himself has not made a public remark about Rep. Park’s comment.
We haven't written up this one. Hankyoreh has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
