"Go to Hell," Says Victim of Busan Roundhouse Kick Assault to Rep. Kim Yong-min

Kim Jin-joo (pseudonym), the victim of the "Busan roundhouse kick" assault case, left a comment reading "Go to hell" on a social media post by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Yong-min, who spearheaded the parliamentary passage of the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that completely abolishes prosecutors' investigative powers.

On August 1, a social media account operated by Representative Kim Yong-min's office published a post celebrating the passage of the revised Criminal Procedure Act before the spirit tablet of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, writing, "Late President Roh Moo-hyun, you must be saying, 'Ah, I feel so good!!!'" This prompted Kim Jin-joo to leave the comment.


In a phone interview with SBS today (August 3), Kim Jin-joo stated, "'Go to hell' was the most refined expression I could use," adding, "It is clearly evident who will suffer, and they will eventually pay the price."

Below is a Q&A between SBS reporter and Kim Jin-joo, the victim of the "Busan roundhouse kick case."
  A. Seeing the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act pass through the National Assembly on July 31 brought an overwhelming sense of helplessness. A lot of mixed emotions arose, making me think, 'No matter how much victims speak out, nothing changes,' and 'What does the word "citizen" even mean to them?'

Amidst that, seeing the post uploaded by Representative Kim Yong-min made it impossible for me to hold back.

While I believe politicians are free to engage in politics since we live in a free democratic country... I also thought it was quite disrespectful to invoke the politics of the deceased and claim that his wishes had been achieved as a goal.

Also, it made me think of many other victims who cannot speak out publicly. I believe I left the comment using the most refined expression I possibly could.
  A. I spent an entire year going around to debates and seminars, even though there wasn't really anything for me to gain. I once told other victims, 'They will at least let me into heaven, right?' I didn't expect anything; I just thought, 'Surely this much is enough to get me into heaven.'

Looking at it the other way around, I wrote the comment "Go to hell" to mean that while the person who passed this bill might live comfortably in this life, the moment will surely come when they face the impact of this. It was simply the most refined expression I could muster.

Because it is abundantly clear who will suffer because of this reality, I believe they will ultimately pay the price. I think it is a horrifying change.
  A. I don't know much about politics. But given that even the family members of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun are not saying anything, I think this point must be quite unpleasant for them.

In fact, sacrificing someone else for the sake of the politicians' own logic is a truly dismal society. As an ordinary citizen, I simply want to say that a political society where you must exploit someone else to survive is truly wrong.
  A. From the perspective of crime victims, this is a horrifying change. It took me a long time to voice my opposition to the abolition of supplementary investigative powers as well. That is because it is just my individual case, and I must not speak as if I represent all crime victims.

Therefore, when I asked other fellow victims, everyone unanimously agreed on one thing: 'Judicial reform that excludes victims must never be allowed.' In addition, other victims also remarked that Representative Kim Yong-min's post went "beyond the pale."
  A. I want to say that "judicial reform meant for politicians is of no use to victims."

Also, what angered me the most during the initial discussions on abolishing supplementary investigative powers was that no one was discussing what kind of relief mechanisms would be established if crime victims were marginalized.

It is already far too late to even be talking about this now. Systems related to crime victims should not be made this way. We should have been talking about this all year long.

I know that in South Korea, people always scramble to patch things up whenever an incident strikes, but this is not a system that should be rushed together like a band-aid. It is a system that requires a very long time of deep deliberation, and I hope they stop rushing to patch things up, even at this late stage.

With only the President's veto power left, this revision is such a horrifying change for crime victims that, frankly, I could swallow all my pride and even beg, "Please, just exercise the presidential veto."

(※ SBS asked Representative Kim Yong-min's office for their stance regarding the comments left by Kim Jin-joo, but his office stated they had no specific position to offer.)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.