'Further controversy will make it hard to build public consensus'

On Choo's opposition to Kim Ji-yong nomination: 'Is the CSIO a social club?'

'Take the Roh Moo-hyun era as a lesson — criticism must be measured'

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Young-jin [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Young-jin [Yonhap]

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Young-jin said Thursday, ahead of President Lee Jae Myung's press conference, that the ruling party and the government must focus on earning the public's trust rather than chasing a rebound in approval ratings. "Is it not a matter of 'mushin bullip' — that without trust, nothing stands?" Kim said. "If we lose trust, we will not be able to move forward."

Speaking on SBS Radio that day, Kim said the president appeared to have gathered sufficient input on a range of issues ahead of the press conference. "I think he will have collected enough opinions and settled his positions on the withdrawal of indictments, the constitutional amendment to allow a consecutive term, questions surrounding various ministerial nominees, the Hormuz Strait troop deployment issue related to the United States, and major matters of diplomacy, defense, domestic politics and the economy," he said.

Kim said it would not be appropriate for him to speak on behalf of the president, but added that he expected Lee to speak after careful deliberation. "I believe he will judge and speak after fully considering what changes would be appropriate for the ruling party and government in order to meet the public's expectations and align with the people's perspective," he said.

On the mounting controversy over the withdrawal of indictments and the consecutive-term constitutional amendment, Kim warned that further dispute could hamper governance. "If the controversy grows any further, it will not be easy to carry out state affairs, execute policy, or build public consensus," he said. "I believe he will make the appropriate judgment under those circumstances."

Asked for advice on holding a press conference just ahead of the chuseok holiday, Kim said the occasion called for a change in atmosphere. "I think what is needed is a situation where the ruling Democratic Party can ask the public to help create a new environment in which we can get to work — expressing regret where mistakes were made and showing that we want to move forward together with the people," he said.

When asked who the primary audience of the press conference should be, Kim said the president should not think in terms of core supporters, traditional supporters or moderates. "It needs to be a press conference held from the perspective of the general public as a whole," he said. "In fact, I think the direction is to see this as the first step toward building a foundation of trust, rather than simply bouncing back in the approval ratings."

Kim also called on Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, who has been publicly criticizing the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the inaugural head of the Central Serious Crimes Investigation Office, to temper her remarks. "Criticism should be measured and appropriate," he said.

Kim drew on the experience of the Roh Moo-hyun administration as a cautionary tale. "In the past, we lost power while embroiled in controversy over four major reform bills, including the National Security Act — we must take that painful experience as a lesson and recognize that there is a point up to which criticism is acceptable," he said. "There are things that can be handled internally and privately, but openly fighting in public is not something the people should have to see."

Governor Choo had on Wednesday invoked the concept of the "banality of evil" in connection with the nominee and called for the nomination to be withdrawn. Kim pushed back, saying the office should be led by the most capable investigator. "The whole point of creating the Central Serious Crimes Investigation Office was to have the best investigator take the helm," he said. "Is the CSIO some kind of social club?"


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