Song Young-gil, a contender in the Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership race, said on August 5, “I will advocate for the impeachment of Chief Justice Jo Hee-de,” to which Kim Min-seok quickly replied, “I concur.” During a television debate that day among the party’s leadership candidates, they also argued over who had been more active in eliminating the prosecution’s supplementary investigation powers. A source from the ruling party noted, “This reflects a struggle for clarity ahead of the Honam primary on July 15, where one-third of the party’s members with voting rights are based.”
During the debate, Song questioned Jung Chung-rae, the former party leader, “Why didn’t you try to impeach Chief Justice Jo while you were in charge?” Jung replied, “Didn’t we establish an insurrection trial division and even introduce the concept of law distortion crime, because we couldn’t trust the Supreme Court under Jo Hee-de?” When Kim asked, “The government requested the elimination of the supplementary investigation authority, which the party had previously advocated for, in May, so why did you object?” Jung responded, “The world knows who has pushed harder for prosecution reform. Why didn’t you push for the bill’s passage?”
Market volatility also drew attention. Jung said, “Many individuals are experiencing extreme distress because of the leveraged ETF (exchange-traded fund) for individual stocks, which was managed carelessly during Kim Min-seok’s time as prime minister.” In reply, Song questioned, “Didn’t Jung, as the former party leader, participate in any party-government discussions about the leveraged ETF?” and further remarked, “What level of mistrust existed between the party and the government if such discussions didn’t take place?”
The candidates also re-examined concerns about Shincheonji’s involvement in the party convention. Jung accused Kim, stating, “You are attempting to create a non-existent ‘anti-Lee Jae Myung’ story and unjustly questioning Shincheonji’s role in the party convention,” calling it a “malicious accusation that tarnished the convention.” Kim replied, “I have raised all the issues concerning Shincheonji, but is this really such a serious offense?” He also criticized Jung for threatening to report him to the party’s ethics committee, saying, “It’s like accusing someone who shouts ‘fire’ of being a fire starter.” Song suggested, “Once the joint investigation by the police and prosecutors is completed, we should carry out a collaborative inquiry.”
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