KOR- Concerns over internal division... Prevailing sentiment to prioritize people's livelihoods over political strife
- Mass membership in Shincheonji confirmed... Limits to investigating connection with "three-way coalition"
- Now is the time for the party to unite; prioritizing public livelihoods is what a ruling party should do
- Park Sun-won reacted emotionally, but that too is in the past
- Kim Min-seok does need to explain to hurt party members
- Jung Chung-rae's "demand for accountability"? Settled at yesterday's general meeting of lawmakers
- Differing perspectives on who benefited from the "Shincheonji allegations"
- People's livelihoods take priority over "parliamentary probe into Cho Hee-dae"... No disagreement from hardliners
- "Fabricated Indictment Special Counsel Bill" to be processed now that parliamentary audit is over... Clause on dropping indictment deleted
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Rep. Kim Hyun-jung, Democratic Party of Korea
▷Kim Tae-hyun: As previously announced, we are connected by phone with Representative Kim Hyun-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea to hear about yesterday's closed-door general meeting of lawmakers. Hello, Representative.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Hello, this is Kim Hyun-jung representing Pyeongtaek-byeong.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Representative, regarding yesterday's investigation findings on the Shincheonji allegations. It was known that Supreme Council Member Park Sun-won was originally scheduled to announce this and had even prepared handouts to distribute to lawmakers. How did this announcement get canceled so abruptly?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Well, up until yesterday, Supreme Council Member Park Sun-won was the head of the task force, so it was arranged that he would deliver the report. But just as he was about to report, Representative Kim Min-seok stepped in, saying he would personally explain it himself, and went on to deliver the explanation.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Ultimately, the overall essence was that the party leader made a decision for unity. He made a decision to resolve the situation and achieve integration. The substance of it was that Shincheonji was present, but there was no three-way coalition, and he offered an apology to the victims.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Right.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: That is the core of it. Regarding this, there was a strong atmosphere within the party, starting from senior lawmakers, that we must pursue unity rather than division, and that right now we must care for the people's livelihoods rather than engage in political strife. The party leader accepted those opinions and seems to have made his decision in that manner yesterday.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Furthermore, he left open the possibility by stating that anyone can freely inspect the investigation results, and that if there are opinions favoring public disclosure later on, they will discuss whether to make them public again. During the course of giving that explanation, he also shed some tears.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Was he really overcome with emotion?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Yes. So the atmosphere among the lawmakers who attended the caucus was that everyone accepted that sincerity, and it seems an atmosphere has formed that we should now move toward unity.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Representative, honestly, weren't you taken aback yesterday when Party Leader Kim Min-seok suddenly said there was no coalition and offered an apology? Because that was a move no one could have anticipated.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Well, to be honest, before that, since the investigation results have not been publicly disclosed yet, there was that aspect. But ever since the national party convention, all lawmakers have held different opinions about things like the three-way coalition. Moreover, because this investigation did not have compulsory investigative powers, while mass membership was confirmed, there were practical limitations in verifying any link to something like a secret three-way coalition.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Then, Representative, do you think Party Leader Kim Min-seok's last-minute decision at that final moment was a good decision, or do you find it somewhat regrettable?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: I think he made the right call. Because right now is truly the time for the party to unite. Also, the budget session of the National Assembly opens in November. In that process, a super-expansionary budget of 821 trillion won was drafted, and all of those funds are crucial for easing polarization and expanding growth engines. They are all tied to the people's livelihoods. Focusing on taking care of such matters is what a responsible ruling party should look like, so I believe this was a process of settling issues to concentrate on those priorities, and I agree with that direction.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Supreme Council Member Park Sun-won seemed very angry that he was prevented from making the announcement. Have you had a chance to speak with him?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Well, isn't that just how things go? During the Supreme Council meeting, it was briefly shown and captured on broadcast.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: There was a clash with Supreme Council Member Han Min-soo and Supreme Council Member Lee Sung-yoon.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Yes. The investigation into that was completed over the past 15 days or so. Regarding how to handle it, in the process of saying it would be released after the parliamentary audit ended, and while some Supreme Council members demanded an early disclosure, Supreme Council Member Park Sun-won seems to have reacted somewhat emotionally because he had conducted the investigation himself. But that, too, is now in the past. Moving forward, within Party Leader Kim Min-seok's explanation, sincere apology, and decision calling for unity, I believe we must move forward as a ruling party focused on people's livelihoods.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Representative, ultimately, that means Party Leader Kim Min-seok proposed stopping here for the sake of party unity. The problem is that his counterpart, Representative Jung Chung-rae, is not staying quiet right now. Looking at what he said yesterday, he stated, “In the end, party members and Jung Chung-rae are innocent, and candidate Kim Min-seok is guilty. Rather than hiding in a closed-door caucus and saying you are sorry, I hope you come out in public and apologize.” On top of that, he even said, “Take political responsibility.”
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Representative Jung Chung-rae went so far as to refer to Party Leader Kim Min-seok as "candidate Kim Min-seok" while demanding an apology and accountability. How do you view Representative Jung Chung-rae's reaction?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: First of all, during the party convention, the talk of a secret three-way coalition was something very difficult to accept from then-candidate Jung Chung-rae's perspective, and he reacted quite sensitively to it during that process as well. Since [Kim Min-seok] apologized and acknowledged that there was no secret three-way coalition, I view [Jung's remarks] as a message directed toward party members and supporters who were hurt by this.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: However, yesterday's apology took place during a closed-door general meeting of lawmakers. Regarding those details, the floor spokesperson disclosed the apology delivered at the caucus through a background briefing, and it has all been reported, hasn't it? Nonetheless, offering an explanation to the party members who were hurt by this does seem necessary. But what is more important than that is that we must not use this decision to resolve the situation and this apology as a pretext to create another conflict. So I believe the most critical thing is for everyone to work toward unity going forward. Moreover, yesterday Representative Jung Chung-rae also said that the party should join forces to strive for victory. So I expect he will play such a role. And once again, I emphasize that it is important to demonstrate the role of the ruling party through a livelihood-centered National Assembly during the budget session that the public hopes for.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So you are saying that since Party Leader Kim Min-seok called a halt to it for the sake of unity, Representative Jung Chung-rae and Supreme Council members aligned with him should also stop their offensive against Party Leader Kim Min-seok over this issue. Is that right?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: At yesterday's general meeting of lawmakers, he made it clear that there was no secret three-way coalition and apologized in relation to that. If so, the points of grievance regarding that issue have actually been resolved, haven't they?
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: And since former leader Jung Chung-rae also said he would strive for victory in harmony and unity, our lawmakers believe that things were settled yesterday through that report and apology at the caucus. My thought is that I hope he will play a role in that direction and for the unity of the democratic and progressive camp within the party.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: By the way, Representative, will Party Leader Kim Min-seok's leadership be all right? Because this issue was pushed so aggressively during the party convention, but in the end, it concluded in what some might see as a hollow outcome. There are concerns that this might leave a scratch on Party Leader Kim Min-seok's leadership.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Since he offered an apology, there may indeed be aspects of criticism as you mentioned. But rather than forcibly dragging it out and plunging the party into deeper crisis, cutting it off and moving forward is a matter of a leader's decisive judgment, isn't it?
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: And in fact, regarding that factionalism from the last party convention—the secret three-way coalition—perspectives differ on whether it actually worked to the advantage of any particular candidate.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: That is true. Understood. Let me ask about another topic that came up at the caucus. Regarding the parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, there were reports that it was decided to undergo further opinion-gathering, and that there was a proposal from Representative Woo Won-shik. Has the atmosphere within the party changed significantly over the past few days?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Even before that, there were diverse opinions regarding this parliamentary investigation.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Naturally.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Among the negative opinions about a parliamentary investigation, some opposed it on the grounds that now is the time to focus on the people's livelihoods and the budget session. Others argued, though for different reasons, that the timing to impeach Cho Hee-dae had been missed—saying it should have been done last year on May 1 when [the Supreme Court] remanded [a case] with an instruction of guilt or when he rejected a renomination. So there were indeed opinions that we should refrain from conducting a parliamentary investigation.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: But what is important is that a consensus has formed that Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is problematic and must take responsibility. In relation to this, at yesterday's caucus—November is such a crucial budget period, isn't it?
▷Kim Tae-hyun: That is right.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: And we have formulated a record-large budget to address polarization and secure growth engines. Key among these are the three major livelihood issues that the public desires most: jobs, microfinance for working-class citizens, and housing stability. So it was settled yesterday to focus on these first, and to discuss the necessity and timing of a parliamentary probe through further deliberation. Therefore, I believe yesterday's caucus served as a turning point that made it clear the party's future focus will be on the people's livelihoods.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Moderate lawmakers and those in the neutral zone probably accepted former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik's proposal. But what about the so-called hardline lawmakers? Those who argued that we should immediately impeach Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, that a parliamentary probe isn't even necessary, and that we should go straight to impeachment—did those lawmakers accept yesterday's decision?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: There was no major disagreement on this yesterday.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Really?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: There was no disagreement. In any case, those calling for immediate impeachment had also opposed a parliamentary investigation.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Just straight to it. Then didn't they say yesterday, “That's great, let's just go straight to impeachment instead”?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: There was no such talk.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. And another decision adopted as party policy yesterday was the Special Counsel Bill on Fabricated Indictments. You decided to push this as official party policy, correct?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: That is correct. So it was decided to introduce it to the plenary session on November 5, which is tomorrow.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: What made you determine that now is the right time?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Originally, it was planned to be handled after the local elections. But after the local elections, due to the national party convention, and then because the parliamentary audit continued right after, we could not find the right timing. Now that it is all over, we are moving to process it.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: In the meantime, the biggest attack from the opposition party regarding this was the claim that this was a build-up to drop the indictment against the president. So yesterday, it was decided to delete the clause related to dropping the indictment from the special counsel bill and bring it to the plenary session.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Then it reflects both what the opposition pointed out and what the president mentioned in the press conference last September?
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Yes, that has all been reflected. So regarding this, while it is right for us to eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings, shouldn't we also eradicate practices where prosecutorial authority—a state power—is abused through conciliation, fabricated investigations, or fabricated indictments? A new criminal justice system has been introduced for the first time in 76 years. Practices of fabricated investigations in the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, the Prosecution and Indictment Agency, and the police must be thoroughly eradicated. I believe that is the completion of prosecution reform. Therefore, whether new facts are uncovered through the special counsel, or through things partially confirmed during the previous parliamentary investigation, I believe it is necessary to seize this opportunity to rectify such abuses of investigative authority by the prosecution.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Representative, today we examined various internal party issues with you. We will conclude our interview with Representative Kim Hyun-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea here. Thank you.
▶Kim Hyun-jung: Thank you.
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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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