Moon demands Yoon’s apology for pledging probe into current administration

Feb 11, 2022, 09:30 am

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President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook attend a luncheon meeting with young people preparing for independent living held at Cheong Wa Dae on February 10, 2022./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Jeong Geum-min

Ahead of the 20th presidential election, the incumbent president clashed with the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). President Moon Jae-in, who has been maintaining political neutrality ahead of the election, jumped into the presidential race battle by responding directly to remarks by main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol who said he will launch a probe into alleged corruption of the current administration if he is elected. This is rare for Cheong Wa Dae to express dissatisfaction directly to the opposition presidential candidate.

Moon expressed “strong anger” toward Yoon for “attacking the current administration with groundless allegations” at a presidential aide meeting on Thursday. Moon asked if Yoon turned a blind eye to such ills when he served as prosecutor general and the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office.

“This is an issue that would end if he apologizes,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said. “If it is an election strategy, it would be despicable. If it is his belief, it would be dangerous. He shouldn’t make such remarks if he is a democrat.”

Yoon made the remark in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo daily published Wednesday. When asked if he would launch an investigation into deep-rooted evils of the Moon administration if he is elected, Yoon answered, “Yes.” He said that those who commit illegality and corruption under the Moon Jae-in regime should be punished according to the law and the system.

In response, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) attacked the main opposition party, saying the “regime change” claimed by the main opposition party was nothing more than “political revenge” against the current administration.

Twenty DP lawmakers, including Koh Min-jung, Kim Eui-gyeom, and Choi Kang-wook, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, “We will definitely protect President Moon by winning the election.” They said, “A mere candidate is giving orders to authorities for investigation as if he were president already. It is a kind of ‘prosecutor’s coup.”

On the other hand, the PPP strongly opposed Moon’s demand for Yoon’s apology, defining it as “election intervention.”

“It is regrettable that Moon demanded an apology from Yoon, who revealed the principle of investigation into corruption. It is unfair election intervention,” said Lee Yang-soo, a campaign spokesperson of the PPP.

“Cheong Wa Dae was short-tempered about our candidate’s principle of conducting a fair investigation into those who have done wrong no matter if they are under the Moon Jae-in administration,” said PPP head Lee Jun-seok. “The act of trying to scratch the opposition candidate while rushing to the candidate’s principle is clearly election intervention,” Lee added.

Yoon told reporters that he has no interest in getting “political revenge” and pledged never to intervene in any investigations if elected.

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