[Editorial] Slips of the tongue and a lack of discipline

The leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) packed with loyalists of President Yoon Suk Yeol is in hot water after a series of slips of the tongue by members of the Supreme Council. After his off-track remarks repeatedly provoked controversy inside and outside the conservative party, Kim Jae-won, a former three-term PP lawmaker, pledged Tuesday to suspend all his public activities.

It all started with the comment Kim made about the April 3 uprising and massacre in Jeju in 1948. After criticism erupted over President Yoon’s decision not to attend the 75th anniversary of the tragedy and instead visit the 100th anniversary of a traditional market in Daegu — the home turf of Korean conservatism — Kim said that the April 3 anniversary is a commemorative day not on par with the March 1 Independence Movement Day or the August 15 Liberation Day. In response, his opponents asked if the 100th anniversary of the market and the president's ceremonial first pitch at the opening game of the professional baseball league in the city were events really more important than the April 3 anniversary.

Rep. Cho Su-jin — also a member of the Supreme Council and chairperson of a special committee to help public livelihood — took the baton from Kim on a radio program. Asked about the railroading of a controversial revision to the Grains Management Act by the Democratic Party to force the government to purchase a certain amount of surplus rice from farmers, she said, “What is really heartbreaking is the oversupply of rice in this country. Our special committee discussed how to empty a bowl of rice.” She even expressed a plan to let weight-conscious women know that the calories in rice are actually low. Social media was abuzz with hostile messages against her.

The problem with Kim is his repeated verbal slips despite warnings. Pundits link it to his strategic need to get support from right-wing voters before the parliamentary elections next year. Rep. Cho is being attacked for a lack of weight as head of a special committee on people’s livelihoods.

All the alarming developments can be attributed to the entirely pro-Yoon members of the top committee in the party, who lack self-control after dominating the committee. A critical absence of checks and balances coupled with a lax discipline does not help the party.

When he ran for president in 2006, Lee Myung-bak, then Seoul mayor, spurred controversy after comparing the Grand National Party, a predecessor of PPP, to “beachgoers.” The former president made pointed remarks to criticize the slack discipline of party members. The PPP leadership is no different. That well shows the reason for the party’s uninterrupted decline in approval ratings.