If the trio runs, the DP has no future

In a remarkable turn of events, former justice minister Cho Kuk and former Democratic Party (DP) leaders Song Young-gil and Choo Me-ae are reportedly aiming to run in the next parliamentary election.

In a remarkable turn of events, former justice minister Cho Kuk and former Democratic Party (DP) leaders Song Young-gil and Choo Me-ae are reportedly aiming to run in the next parliamentary election. Asked about his possible bid for a legislative seat in the election in April, Cho said that he needs to find a way to recover his reputation “if my explanations are not accepted in the court.” He mentioned “a political method,” suggesting his bid in the upcoming election.

In the first trial, Cho was found guilty of unfairly getting his children into college and influence peddling on the Blue House’s inspection on a former Busan vice mayor’s corruption. Cho was sentenced to two years in jail in the first trial for most of the charges on his offspring’s admissions into top universities and on the influence peddling. Cho’s wife is on parole for health reasons while serving her four-year prison term for orchestrating her children’s college admissions. Though a final ruling will come at higher courts, Cho, the minister of justice, prompted public anger over damaging the values of fairness. How could such a person run in the election for a legislative seat?

Former DP Chair Song is no exception. He is being investigated for his apparent involvement in handing out cash to DP lawmakers to help him get elected as chair in 2021. Many of his peers admitted to their involvement in the cash handout. Nevertheless, Song is attacking the prosecution for investigating him for political reasons. Before the last presidential election in 2022, Song already declared he would not run in the next parliamentary election.

Choo, another former DP leader, is ratcheting up the level of her attacks on President Yoon Suk Yeol, including her demand for his impeachment and ouster. Choo even hinted at the possibility of running for a seat representing a district in Seoul, where she served as a lawmaker for five terms. But she, as a justice minister under former president Moon Jae-in, repeatedly abused her power to methodically punish then-prosecutor general Yoon Suk Yeol for looking into dirt on the liberal government. She even earned the nickname of “the best helper for Yoon to become president.” She apparently thinks she can run in the election based on the blind backing from hard-core DP supporters.

The governing People Power Party (PPP) welcomes the strange developments in the DP. Cho expressed hope for securing 200 seats in the 300-member legislature by uniting with former democracy fighters in the outside and even some PPP legislators. The trio can run in the election if they want. But the DP leadership worries about the possibility of getting less than 100 seats if they decide to run. Fortunately, the party knows the answer.