"Moon never had to say he was 'Roh's man' — everyone already knew"

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ko Min-jung. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ko Min-jung. [Yonhap]

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ko Min-jung on Friday pushed back against former party leader Jung Chung-rae's claim to be the Democratic Party's "legitimate heir," asking, "Does standing with a particular faction make someone the legitimate heir?" and "Would those who have passed — including the late former President Roh Moo-hyun — actually recognize such a claim?"

Ko made the remarks during a morning appearance on YTN Radio's "Jang Seong-cheol's News Myeongdang," saying Jung appeared to be emphasizing the point in hopes that people would read something into it.

Jung announced his resignation as party leader at a Supreme Council meeting on June 24, a move widely seen as the first step toward seeking a consecutive term. At that meeting, Jung stressed his ties to former Democratic Party presidents, saying of Roh in particular: "I am a member of Rohsamo. It was through Roh Moo-hyun that I opened my eyes to political reality, and it was thanks to Roh Moo-hyun's political reforms and the introduction of regional primary elections that I was able to become a lawmaker. I am a Roh Moo-hyun kid."

Ko responded by asking whether former President Moon Jae-in had ever gone around saying "I am Roh Moo-hyun's man" from the time he first ran for office. "Everyone already knew that," she said, "so he never had to."

Ko said the Democratic Party's legitimate lineage lay not in factional ties but in its mission. "The Democratic Party's legitimate heritage is about doing politics for the vulnerable," she said. "Roh Moo-hyun emerged for the circumstances of his era, Moon Jae-in emerged for his, and now Lee Jae-myung has emerged to carry on the Democratic Party's legitimate tradition."

She added that if the party was going to fight over its legitimate heritage, the real question should be who could lead the Democratic Party with the most genuinely Democratic policies and methods.

Meanwhile, when asked whether she planned to run in the upcoming party leadership election, Ko said she was "still thinking it over."


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