On the 10th, Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate for the People Power Party (PPP), stated, “The word ‘political retaliation’ is not in my dictionary.” When President Moon Jae-in responded vehemently to Yoon’s remarks on investigating to eradicate deep-rooted evils within the Moon administration, Yoon then explained that his statement is within the same context as President Moon’s idea, which could be interpreted as taking a stance to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the current administration.
Yoon was attending a New Year’s event in Seoul and was asked by reporters, “President Moon Jae-in demanded an apology for the remarks on the eradication of deep-rooted evils,” to which he then responded with, “I think President Moon and I share the same thoughts.”
In an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper the previous day, Yoon was asked, “Will you launch an investigation into “deep-rooted evils” of the current administration just like the early days of the Moon Jae-in administration?” and he responded that he would. He went on to say, “How many crimes did the Democratic Party of Korea (DP) commit using the prosecution? They will need to take responsibility accordingly.”
In response, President Moon demanded an apology from Yoon at a staff meeting earlier in the day, saying, “I express outrage at the groundless and illegal investigation into deep-rooted evils within the government.” He went on to say, “When he served as the prosecutor general and the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, did he turn a blind eye to the government’s deep-rooted evils? Or he must answer if he’s planning to cook up such ills that don’t exist.”
Yoon stressed that “President Moon Jae-in has always emphasized (the need for) investigations according to the law and principles without sanctuaries. I have also said that corruption in power should always be handled by the law, principles, and a fair system.”
He then said, “That hasn’t changed since I was a prosecutor nor when I started in politics and even until today.” He also said, “If I am elected, there will be no political retaliation,” adding, “I have told you since last summer that I will eliminate the Office of the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs in the sense that I will not be involved in any inspections and investigations.”
Original article: https://www.jayupress.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2329
