The same doomed path

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The same doomed path

There was blind faith in the liberal government that replaced the one under a corrupt conservative president. Cynicism now prevails in regards to the Moon Jae-in administration as it is out to do whatever it wishes, regardless of opposition or criticism.

The ruthless purging is likened to a sabotage campaign on the prosecution for taking aim at the people in the administration. At the same time, the ruling party is fielding Moon’s confidantes in the April election. The party is working hard to recruit Im Jong-seok, Moon’s first chief of staff who left office and declared that he was leaving politics. The scouting is taking place even when Im is implicated in the investigation over the Blue House meddling in the Ulsan mayoral election. Lee Hae-chan, the head of the Democratic Party, openly bid for him while the head of the nomination committee welcomed the move. Im has been refusing the call for summoning from the prosecution.

Youn Kun-young, who recently stepped down as the head of the State Affairs Planning and Monitoring Office at the Blue House, has been cleared by the DP screening committee to run in the April election. Youn is suspected to have interfered to stop the inspection on former Busan mayor Yoo Jae-soo on suspicions of bribery. The prosecution say Youn ordered the civil affairs office to suspend the inspection at the request of Yoo in the indictment on former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Song Byung-ki, former vice mayor of Ulsan suspected of taking orders from the Blue House to interfere in the Ulsan mayoral election, and Hwang Un-ha, former head of the Ulsan Metropolitan Police who had investigated the former Ulsan mayor upon Blue House orders, have all won tickets from the ruling party to run in the next election.

Anyone who helped the ruling party has more or less been self-pardoned for any criminality. The ruling front is defying the prosecution and court as if it is above the law. The former conservative party suffered a landslide defeat four years ago in the parliamentary election because of self-absorbed arrogance and factional conflict. The new government has gained power through the follies of the former government. The names and faces have changed on the ruling front, but they are following the same doomed path.
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