- Norwegian Vikings established the basics of the rule of law... Much to learn
- PPP's disciplinary politics? The person who should be disciplined is trying to discipline others
- Jang Dong-hyeok consistently acts in favor of the Democratic Party
- Must first block the dismissal of public prosecutions...Reorganize ranks after Han's reinstatement first
- PPP reformists fail to fight properly...Actions don't match their commentaries
- Missed the golden time to check the government and rebuild the conservative bloc...'Missed penalty kick'
- Who's afraid of disciplinary action? 'It's like getting a medal'...Disadvantageous in legal battles too
- Opposition lawmakers thanking Jeon Han-gil? Something that would only happen on a theater stage
- PPP's establishment seems to want to remain the opposition party
- Japanese media focusing on Han Dong-hoon and Oh Se-hoon? High interest in South Korean conservatives

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: July 6, 2026 (Monday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Cho Gap-je, Representative of ChoGapje.com

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Diagnosing the political sphere through conservative eyes. We have Cho Gap-je, representative of ChoGapje.com. Hello.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Hello.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Today, we'll talk briefly about soccer. Breaking news, World Cup news that came in early this morning. Norway beat Brazil 2-1. Brazil's squad is actually a bit weaker than before, but their manager is Ancelotti, one of the world's best. Among the managers of the 48 countries participating in the World Cup, Ancelotti is probably the highest-paid. It makes sense, as he won the Champions League five or seven times while managing club teams. Despite being paid a fortune, Brazil lost 2-1 to Norway. For your information, Brazil has reportedly never beaten Norway in the World Cup. Their historical record was 2 draws and 2 losses, and they lost again today. Amazing. Anyway, Norway advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in history, while Brazil packed their bags in tears. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo must be in chaos right now. But you said you wanted to compare this to politics?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Watching this game, I kept thinking of the Vikings. You know the player Haaland, right?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Erling Haaland.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Doesn't he look completely like a Viking? Blonde, tall, about 194 to 195 cm tall.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That's true. Blonde and huge.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Since the World Cup is a national competition, you end up thinking about the country through its team. It makes me think of Norway. What kind of country is Norway? It's a Viking nation. Among Viking nations, Denmark is good at fighting, Sweden is good at business, but Norway is a country good at exploration.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Exploration? That's a bit different.

▶ Cho Gap-je: So, Norway's population is currently about 5 million, but there are 5 million people who immigrated to the United States. Also, Norwegian-Americans are among the wealthiest in the US.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really?

▶ Cho Gap-je: And the place where they live the most is Minnesota. The football team Minnesota Vikings...

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: NFL?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Yes. That's a famous team.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Ah, so that's why they are the Minnesota Vikings.

▶ Cho Gap-je: In the US, the places with the lowest crime rates are mostly where many Scandinavian people live. Places like Wisconsin and North Dakota. These Viking nations are also the most peaceful in the world and have high happiness levels. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland—these are completely Viking nations.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I heard they are quiet and nice to live in.

▶ Cho Gap-je: You could say half of the UK is a Viking nation. England was conquered by the Normans, who are descendants of Vikings. Also, Norway is the richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita, thanks to the North Sea oil fields. Usually, when a country gets this rich, people stop fishing. But a large population is still engaged in fishing. That's why much of the salmon and mackerel we eat is imported from Norway. It shows how diligent they are.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Cho Gap-je: The most important thing is that the Vikings established the rule of law. You know the word "law" as in law school? Its etymology is from the Viking language.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Because the Vikings occupied England, it entered the English language. The jury system, and common law—these are all Viking traditions.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really?

▶ Cho Gap-je: So, although they were fighters, they eventually established the rule of law and laid the foundation of the Anglo-American legal system. That's what Norway and these Vikings did. Watching today's game, I felt there is much to learn from that country.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What does that have to do with Korean politics? That we need to establish the rule of law?

▶ Cho Gap-je: The rule of law. So, the US...

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Representative Jang Dong-hyeok says he is establishing the rule of law by taking disciplinary action.

▶ Cho Gap-je: The Viking spirit of the rule of law is represented by the jury system. The jury system means believing in collective intelligence. It means the wisdom and common sense of ordinary people are more important than the judgment of a single judge.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. But as I briefly mentioned earlier, the People Power Party (PPP) also says they are practicing the rule of law. Representative Jang Dong-hyeok says he will discipline people. Looking at today's schedule, they are holding an Ethics Committee meeting. It's not that a decision will be made today, but there are about 50 disciplinary proposals submitted to the Ethics Committee—requests from party members to discipline certain individuals. We'll have to wait and see how it goes, but Representative Jang seems to have a strong will to carry out broad disciplinary actions.

▶ Cho Gap-je: But isn't the person who should be disciplined trying to discipline others now? Based on the party constitution and rules, and the South Korean Constitution on which they are based, the person who urgently needs to be disciplined and expelled from the PPP is Representative Jang Dong-hyeok himself.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: For what reason?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Look at his recent actions. He is claiming there was a rigged election and demanding a nationwide re-election. Isn't this complete false demagoguery? In a nationwide re-election, 27 million people have already voted. He is trying to invalidate that, isn't he?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That's right.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Then doesn't that mean destroying the voting rights of 27 million people? This is a refusal to accept the election results. Is there any bigger crime than this in a democratic country? And he keeps acting only in ways that benefit the Democratic Party.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You previously described him as a "strategic asset for the Democratic Party."

▶ Cho Gap-je: Is this the time to be taking disciplinary action? What the People Power Party should do right now, respecting the public sentiment reflected in the recent election results, is to reorganize its system to block the Lee Jae-myung administration's move to dismiss public prosecutions. Shouldn't they reorganize their ranks? To do that, they should reinstate Representative Han Dong-hoon, who has the strongest breakthrough power and fighting spirit, and build their ranks around him. But instead, they are selectively targeting Han Dong-hoon's faction for disciplinary action. This is self-harm. Who does this benefit?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The Democratic Party.

▶ Cho Gap-je: The Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung. So, looking at the results of everything Representative Jang Dong-hyeok has done since taking office, the only consistent outcome is that he has done nothing but help Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That's why, looking at your social media, you wrote, "True to his role as a strategic asset for the Democratic Party, Representative Jang Dong-hyeok is trying to selectively target and snipe only those PPP lawmakers whom the Democratic Party fears." You just mentioned this.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Yes, that's right.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: "If a political party cannot expel such a party-harming element, voluntary dissolution is the only answer." So, first, Representative Jang must be expelled, and if not, the party should voluntarily dissolve?

▶ Cho Gap-je: The People Power Party is currently following Representative Jang Dong-hyeok, who is engaging in actions that destroy democracy and help the Democratic Party, rather than keeping him in check. Doesn't this result in the entire People Power Party becoming a far-right party that helps the Democratic Party? Then there's no distinction. You can't distinguish between Jang Dong-hyeok, the Democratic Party, and the People Power Party. Of course, there are about 20 to 30 reform-minded individuals within the PPP, but they cannot fight properly. They are good at writing commentaries, but they cannot translate them into action. Consequently, they just blew away the golden time for rebuilding the conservative bloc during the month following the election.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Since they blew it, in a way, the public gave them a penalty kick opportunity through this election to keep the speeding government in check. But they missed the penalty kick.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Nevertheless, Representative Jang seems to maintain the position that this is about establishing party discipline and that disciplinary action must be taken. How broad do you think the scope of these disciplinary actions will actually be? Because Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sig reportedly opposed taking action against active lawmakers.

▶ Cho Gap-je: But first of all, is there anyone who is actually afraid of whatever disciplinary action they take?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It seems not, from what I've seen.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Aren't they all saying, "I wish they would discipline me so I can wear it like a medal later"?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Active lawmakers and outside-the-parliament members I've interviewed all said exactly that.

▶ Cho Gap-je: No one is afraid, right?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Cho Gap-je: And if it goes to court, they will probably lose every single case.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Since we have the examples of Representative Bae Hyun-jin and Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyeok.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Exactly. The disciplinary actions against Kim Jong-hyeok and Bae Hyun-jin were all overturned by the court, yet the Ethics Committee chairperson who led those actions is still in office. If they keep such an incompetent Ethics Committee chairperson in place and have them carry out disciplinary actions again, it's a kind of psychodrama.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: A psychodrama?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Isn't that something you'd only hear about in a psychiatric ward? How can such a thing happen in a public political party? Furthermore, the chairperson of the Party Affairs Audit Committee is a rigged-election conspiracy theorist. And he is someone who supports Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law. Look at the establishment faction of about 70 people in the PPP right now. I view them as an anti-reform force. Most of these 70 establishment members are from the Gyeongsang Province or the Gangnam area in Seoul. It seems they prefer being the opposition party rather than the ruling party.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Rather than the ruling party?

▶ Cho Gap-je: How great is it? It's much easier to be an opposition lawmaker. You don't have to take responsibility for anything, and in those regions, you get elected just by running. Moreover, there are still people in this party who graduated from prestigious schools and succeeded in life, yet thanked Jeon Han-gil, saying, "Thank you for teaching us that it was not martial law (Gyeom-ryeong) but an enlightenment decree (Gye-mong-ryeong)." Those connected around such people are still supporting the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership. So, I think everything happening in this party would be most entertaining if put on a theater stage.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Let's make a prediction. Do you think they will carry out massive, harsh disciplinary actions across a wide range of active and pro-Han (Han Dong-hoon) lawmakers? Or do you think they will narrow the scope because of the political burden?

▶ Cho Gap-je: It is impossible to predict or analyze the actions of Mr. Jang Dong-hyeok.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really? That means...

▶ Cho Gap-je: It is a huge gamble for a sane person to try to analyze someone who is not in their right mind.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Let's move on to this topic. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon had an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun. I understand his statement about joining forces with Representative Han Dong-hoon and Representative Lee Jun-seok. But he was asked this question: "Should you maintain relations with the forces that support former President Yoon?" Mayor Oh replied, "We must maintain relations. What we must part ways with is former President Yoon's wrong political judgments." This means parting ways with former President Yoon's thoughts, wrong judgments, and political line, but maintaining relations with his supporters. Hearing this, it sounds reasonable but also somewhat ambiguous.

▶ Cho Gap-je: As a politician, that's what you have to do. Even if a politician criticizes another politician, they shouldn't criticize the people who follow that politician. It's that kind of line, like the saying Christians often use: hate the sin, but love the sinner.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Hate the sin, but do not hate the person.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Yes, do not hate the person. Realistically, I think that is correct. Why was Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon elected this time? It's because the conservative bloc united. Among those conservatives, there are also far-right elements. Since reasonable conservatives and others united to vote for him, it wouldn't make sense to completely cut off or criticize Yoon Suk-yeol's supporters just because they support Yoon.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Cho Gap-je: But there is a notable trend lately. Japanese media has been focusing heavily on Han Dong-hoon and Oh Se-hoon.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That seems to be the case.

▶ Cho Gap-je: They keep conducting interviews with them. So, I asked those reporters about it.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What do you think is the reason? Mayor Oh did an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, and Representative Han Dong-hoon did interviews with both Yomiuri and Asahi.

▶ Cho Gap-je: They say both of them are highly newsworthy. Especially Han Dong-hoon, who is an independent lawmaker. Japan's Yomiuri and Asahi are global media outlets, and they said it's the first time they've given such extensive coverage to interview an independent lawmaker from another country. It shows there is high expectation for South Korea's conservatives—the healthy, sound conservatives. There is a belief that a sound conservative leadership in South Korea is necessary to stabilize South Korea-Japan relations, making this a very interesting phenomenon.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. The Reform Party actually had somewhat poor results in the recent local elections. And even after the elections, they have been embroiled in trouble due to the Jeong I-han incident. How do you see their future?

▶ Cho Gap-je: I think they failed to make good use of this local election.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Failed to make good use of it?

▶ Cho Gap-je: During the local elections, didn't I say that the three of them—Han Dong-hoon, Oh Se-hoon, and Lee Jun-seok—should run? And that they shouldn't miss out on the election arena? That's why I think Representative Lee Jun-seok should have run for Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You did mention that before.

▶ Cho Gap-je: I believe he could have been elected if he had run for Gyeonggi Governor.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Elected?

▶ Cho Gap-je: Yes, he could have. Because the atmosphere changed a lot toward the end. If he had run, the People Power Party probably wouldn't have fielded a candidate. Then, with Lee Jun-seok backed by the entire conservative bloc facing Choo Mi-ae in a one-on-one matchup, a political wave could have been generated. Even if he had lost, the attention would have benefited other Reform Party candidates running elsewhere. The party could have survived, but they failed to generate such news. They had this massive stage, but instead of going up there, grabbing the microphone, and singing, they didn't sing at all.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What should they do going forward?

▶ Cho Gap-je: They need to keep making news diligently. Actually, they are doing well lately. Especially recently, when Representative Jang Dong-hyeok demanded a radical nationwide re-election, they criticized him very logically. Also, regarding the controversy surrounding the Baejae High School baseball team, Lee Jun-seok and his associates have been posting very logical arguments on social media. However, rather than just playing that kind of role, they need to create a major drama, which will likely involve playing a role in rebuilding the conservative bloc.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Let's touch upon this briefly. The Democratic Party's leadership race is now starting in earnest, with former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announcing his candidacy. Who do you think will win?

▶ Cho Gap-je: President Lee Jae-myung has created a structure where candidate Kim Min-seok has no choice but to win. Meanwhile, former Representative Jung Chung-rae's standing is shrinking. When the President himself steps forward—especially a President whose popularity is recovering and who still has four years left in his term, effectively acting as the campaign manager—how could anyone withstand that? However, I believe this internal strife will continue even after that.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. We will wrap it up here. That was Cho Gap-je, representative of ChoGapje.com. Thank you, representative.

▶ Cho Gap-je: Thank you.


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