Ex-justice minister to create party for April general elections
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk holds a press conference in Busan, Tuesday, to announce his intention to create his own political party ahead of the general elections in April. Yonhap
Cho Kuk, a former justice minister during the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration, announced his bid to create a party and run in the April 10 general elections, despite concerns that his move may aggravate factional infighting in the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
During a press conference in Busan, Cho said that he would create his own political party, “I will stand on the frontline for the end of the incompetent (Yoon Suk Yeol) administration’s prosecutor autocracy.”
“The country is facing crises in almost all fields including diplomacy, national security and the economy … The April 10 general elections should be a chance to not only hand down judgment on the incompetent Yoon administration but also rebuild the Republic of Korea.”
Cho said that he is yet to determine the details of his envisaged party or his plan for the election campaign, adding, “I will discuss with party members the rules and the process.”
He ruled out the chance of joining the Reform Party, a big-tent party comprised of both conservative and liberal politicians who broke away from the DPK and the ruling People Power Party, but left room for affiliation with the DPK, saying, “I don’t know what will happen at the end.”
Then-senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk, right facing forward, gestures during a credential ceremony for then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol, center, at Cheong Wa Dae in this July 25, 2019, file photo. Joint Press Corps
Cho, who has been standing trial for years over allegations that he and his wife fabricated various academic documents to get their daughter admitted to a medical school, is widely seen as a figure who gave critical opportunities to then-Prosecutor General Yoon to become a political star among the conservatives and eventually become the president.
In a high court trial on the academic scandal and 12 other accusations, Thursday, Cho was sentenced to a two-year prison term, but was not detained immediately because the court believed that the chances of him fleeing were slim. He then said in a statement that he would run in the general elections.
Cho’s intention to run in the general elections came amid intensifying infighting between the DPK’s mainstream and a pro-Moon faction.
On Feb. 6, Im Hyug-baeg, the DPK’s candidate recommendation committee head, said, “Those who contributed to the birth of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration should show gestures of taking responsibility.”
The comment was interpreted as being targeted at former officials in the Moon administration who are still in the party, including Moon's chief of staff Lim Jong-seok, who is seeking to run in a DPK stronghold in Seoul. The comment triggered a major confrontation between the two sides.
DPK Rep. Ko Min-jung, who is a former spokesperson of Moon, said in a radio interview with CBS on Tuesday, “We should not ban a person for his or her experience for working for the Moon administration” and “The issue of recommending a candidate should not be swayed by faction, previous career and remarks.”
To address those conflicts, DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said during a radio interview with MBC, Monday, “If the birth of the Yoon administration is an outcome of the Moon administration’s failure, all of the DPK lawmakers should be blamed.”
Former President Moon Jae-in, left, poses with former Justice Minister Cho Kuk during the latter's visit to Moon's residence in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Courtesy of Cho Kuk
However, former Justice Minister Cho’s participation in the general elections is anticipated to worsen the factional feud. During Monday’s interview, the DPK floor leader was negative about Cho’s election bid, ruling out the possibility of affiliation between the DPK and Cho’s new party.
DPK Rep. Park Hong-keun, who is leading the party’s work regarding the launching of a satellite party, which is affiliated with minor liberal political groups, wrote on Facebook Tuesday that the party is “not considering Cho’s new party as an affiliation partner,” because “Cho’s participation will end up creating unnecessary controversies, conflicts and political offensives.”
Another concern for the DPK is that Cho’s election bid may steal the support of Moon loyalists while prompting swing voters to have negative sentiments against the entire liberal bloc because Cho was already convicted for the crime of academic fraud related to his daughter's medical school admission.
“To achieve the victory of the liberal and progressive bloc and hand down judgment to the Yoon administration, we have to secure ballots from swing voters, and in that sense, Cho’s election bid is worrisome,” DPK Rep. Kim Du-kwan said during an interview with YTN, Tuesday.