I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Author calls left-wing commentator 'villain'
Kim Ou-joon, right, in this 2015 file photo / Korea Times file
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Book delves into how Kim Ou-joon became enemy within liberals
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Choi In-ho's new book “Kim Ou-joon Is Worse than Choi Soon-sil” is the liberal commentator's sharp-tongued criticism of his fellow commentator and radio show host, Kim Ou-joon.
Choi, a YouTuber and also founder of a civic group created to put pressure on politicians to adopt a liberal-minded policy agenda, opens fire at Kim, calling him a “villain” who has manipulated public opinion in his favor by using his influence.
The book claims that some liberals began to harbor suspicions about Kim since his sympathetic remarks about the prosecution that investigated the corruption scandal surrounding the former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in 2019.
“Choi Soon-sil had flexed her muscles behind the scenes and didn't reveal herself to the public until her controversial role came to light. She didn't deceive the public at least,” the book reads. “Unlike her, Kim Ou-joon has duped the public every day with his presence in the media. What's worse is that he has manipulated the public opinion for his own sake and by doing so he deceived the people.”
Kim has been popular among the supporters of President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). He rose to stardom in the late 2000s after lampooning then President Lee Myung-bak in his podcast “I am a Weasel.” Currently, he is a TBS radio show host and popular YouTuber. Each of his YouTube videos has hundreds of thousands of views.
Choi Soon-sil, meanwhile, is the former President Park Geun-hye's long-time friend who played a key role behind Park's impeachment over corruption scandals.
Choi In-ho's new book “Kim Ou-joon Is Worse Than Choi Soon-sil'
Choi's new book shows that DPK supporters have been divided into roughly two camps ― pro-and anti-Kim groups ― and the rift between them is so deep that reconciliation appears to be almost impossible.
According to the author, the 2019 Cho Kuk scandal was the tipping point for the creation of the splinter group that is against Kim.
In his TBS radio show “News Manufacturer” that aired on Sept. 23, 2019, Kim showed his confidence in then Prosecutor-General Yoon Suk-yeol. “I trust Prosecutor-General Yoon. He is a prosecutor of integrity,” Kim said on his news show.
The liberal political commentator's rare positive description of the top prosecutor who was investigating Cho ― a favorite of liberals ― came as a surprise to many.
Author Choi said he was shocked at Kim's remarks.
The Cho Kuk scandal has divided the nation. Many were convinced of the need for an investigation of the embattled justice minister. But some ― mostly hardcore DPK and President Moon Jae-in supporters who were called “die-hard Moon supporters” for their single-minded support for the liberal president regardless of policy failures in some areas ― claimed Cho Kuk is the victim of a politically motivated investigation.
Choi took the initiative to campaign for Cho Kuk in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul since the prosecution kicked off its investigation in September 2019. In the rallies, the protesters called for the top prosecutor to step down and the revocation of the investigation's jurisdictional status from the prosecution.
In the book's foreword, the author said he decided to write a book about Kim in hope of bringing an end to his “fascist” politics.
“I thought I need to do something to prevent the presence of a villain like him again in this society,” he wrote. “Our readers will want to take a tranquilizer before reading this book because many of them would have thought Kim has been representing liberal supporters, which is not true.”
Choi has translated several books written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels into Korean. His YouTube channel Choi In-ho TV was started in 2017 and now has some 180,000 subscribers as of Sunday.