Allegations of Shincheonji involvement are casting a shadow over the Democratic Party of Korea's Aug. 17 national convention. Writer Yu Si-min's increasingly sharp criticism of the Lee Jae Myung government is also stoking factional tensions within the party.
Jung Chung-rae, a former Democratic Party leader, wrote on Facebook Thursday that he would "respond most forcefully" to what he called baseless Shincheonji allegations, adding that he would treat any conduct that endangered the party "with the resolve of someone trying to save it."
Kim Min-seok, a former prime minister, and other pro-Lee leadership contenders have continued to press the Shincheonji involvement allegations. Kim told reporters Wednesday that he would reveal supporting evidence on his own timeline, saying, "Leave it to me."
Former party leader Song Young-gil also said on a YouTube broadcast that Shincheonji representatives had approached him while he was leading the Sonamudan party, after he had left the Democratic Party over what became known as the "cash envelope" scandal.
As the convention draws closer, Yu's increasingly pointed remarks are sharpening divisions inside the party.
On Tuesday, Yu said on a YouTube broadcast that President Lee holds the position of opposing a complete separation of investigation and indictment powers under the Criminal Procedure Act and has been working to enforce that stance. "Then this government is a government headed for ruin," he said.
Responding to the backlash his remarks drew from inside and outside the party, Yu pushed back again. He said that even the finest fish market carries a smell, and that leaving it unchecked — without any criticism or limits — would cause every stall to reek of rot. "We need to purify it quickly, before it starts to smell," he said.
Yu had earlier offered a string of critiques of President Lee and his government, presenting what he called the ABC theory, a reconstruction theory and an inevitable-defeat theory in succession.
Pro-Lee lawmakers are seething over Yu's remarks. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-jin, speaking on SBS Radio Thursday, took direct aim at Yu, saying, "I was angry, and it seems the anger has built up over time into an illness, and that illness is getting worse and worse," in bluntly worded criticism.
Kim then said there was concern over "whether this is truly the domain of criticism and judgment, or whether it is the final step into the domain of a player versus a cheerleader," adding that "many Democratic Party members and citizens are watching with great unease."
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
