A party that embraced anti-state, anti-U.S. forces

In a shocking development, a novel coalition of satellite parties led by the majority Democratic Party (DP) will most likely serve as a channel for pro-North Korea forces to enter the 22nd National Assembly through the April 10 parliamentary elections. A splinter party that joined the coalition to win proportional representative seats has nominated two controversial women, including Jeon Ji-yeh, as the first and second candidates of the party through a recent audition. Jeon was immediately picked as the first candidate for proportional seats in the DP-led coalition.

Jeon, a left-wing activist, is notorious for her deep-rooted anti-U.S. stance, as clearly seen in her vehement opposition to the annual Korea-U.S. joint drills and her persistent demand for the dismantlement of the United Nations Command in Korea. In August 2022 — just three months after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration — she attacked Yoon for “trying to find a breakthrough in his declining approval rating even without knowing the danger of war exercises” before the two allies launched a military exercise. A civic group she once worked for is still led by a radical leftist who once commanded a pro-North Korea organization. The other controversial woman affiliated with the novel coalition orchestrated a massive protest against the Thaad missile deployment in Seongju, North Gyeongsang, last year.

Proportional representative candidate No. 1 represents the identity of a political party. But the DP handed over the seat to an extreme leftist. The party’s earlier nominations of candidates for proportional seats also included three left-wing activists from the Justice Party. One of them even led a movement to exonerate Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmaker, from his criminal charges of engaging in pro-North activities. We seriously wonder how the DP can bring in such anti-state figures for proportional seats.

In the meantime, another makeshift party led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk is busy drawing people on trial or ex-convicts. Cho himself was sentenced to two years in jail in his second trial and a current lawmaker to three years in prison in his first trial for their criminal charges. Such recruitments constitute a contempt for the legislature and a brazen denial of the rule of law. Fifteen percent support for the party in a Gallup Korea poll demands a deep reflection from voters.

Satellites of the two major parties were an effective route for troublemakers’ entry to the legislature four years ago. They want to defend against their own judicial risks by becoming lawmakers. It is unthinkable under normal election systems. DP leader Lee Jae-myung joined forces with nonsensical people for proportional seats. He must explain to voters what he did.