No more political retaliation

Yoon should apologize for reckless remarks

 

Opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has triggered controversy over his remarks that he will launch an investigation into alleged corruption and abuse of power by the current administration if he is elected. He certainly went too far in targeting the Moon Jae-in government for an anti-corruption drive.

 

In an exclusive interview with the JoongAng Ilbo this week, Yoon said, “Of course there will be an investigation.” He added that the probe won't be personal, but a legitimate action under the criminal justice system. It is, of course, natural for any previous government to be subject to investigation if there were any wrongdoings or violations of the law.

 

However, Yoon should have refrained from mentioning such a probe during the campaign period. He gave the impression that he acted as if he had already won the election. Furthermore, his remarks implied that he has stigmatized the Moon administration as a corrupt regime. There is no doubt that he wants to undermine the legitimacy of the government in a bid to rally conservative voters behind him with less than one month left before the poll.

 

But Yoon has invited the rage of the presidential office and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). On Thursday, President Moon demanded an apology from Yoon, expressing his “strong resentment” over what the candidate said. It is regrettable that Yoon has caused a conflict with the ruling camp over his inadvertent and reckless remarks. He had better apologize immediately for bringing about such repercussions.

 

As a matter of fact, Yoon has harbored a major grudge against the Moon government from his time serving as prosecutor-general. He was once lauded for his efforts to indict former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak on charges of corruption and abuse of power. But his relationship with the government became estranged due to his persistent investigation of Cho Kuk, one of Moon's closest aides and his pick for justice minister, over a corruption and admissions fraud scandal.

 

The Cho Kuk case revealed the hypocrisy of the ruling elite, questioning President Moon's push to eradicate “accumulated evils” of previous administrations. The Moon administration has faced criticism for repeating the same mistakes of the Park and Lee governments without fighting against its own corruption. However, Yoon's remarks have raised the specter of a political vendetta, reminding the people of late President Roh Moo-hyun who killed himself amid the prosecution's investigation into corruption allegations surrounding his family during the Lee administration in 2009. His death was seen as a result of political retaliation.

 

It is time to end the vicious cycle of “retaliation” politics and move toward reconciliation and national harmony. Yoon should realize that his remarks could undermine the independence and political neutrality of the prosecution. We can hardly understand why he indicated that he would appoint a prosecutor close to him as the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is in charge of high-profile corruption cases involving political heavyweights and business tycoons.

 

We urge Yoon and his party to take timely and proper action to prevent the conflict with the ruling camp from escalating further. The DPK and its candidate Lee Jae-myung should not try to take advantage of the conflict to woo progressive voters. The rival parties and candidates must go all out to end divisive politics and bring all the people together, regardless of whoever becomes next president. Otherwise, the country does not have a bright future.