[Editorial] Conservative rally indicates need for Moon administration to self-reflect

Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn and floor leader Na Kyung-won at the head of a rally in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square calling for the resignation of Justice Minister Cho Kuk and lambasting the administration of President Moon Jae-in on Oct. 3. (Kim Gyoung-ho, senior staff writer)

A large rally was held around Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on National Foundation Day this past Oct. 3 to call for the resignation of Justice Minister Cho Kuk. The Liberty Korea Party (LKP) estimated the number of participants at 3 million, while the “National Struggle Headquarters for the Resignation of Moon Jae-in” gave a number of 2 million; in any case, it was the largest single conservative rally since the current administration took office. This was the result of participation spanning conservative parties, Christian conservative groups, and even solidarity rallies by some university students. Provoked by a “million-person candlelight demonstration” held in Seoul’s Seocho area on Sept. 28 to urge prosecution reforms, conservatives were firing back with their own show of strength.

The very fact that conservative South Koreans were in Gwanghwamun Square staging a historically huge rally to call for Cho’s resignation is not something to be taken lightly. It certainly is true that the public’s calls for prosecutorial reforms have been escalating amid prosecutors’ over-the-top investigation of Cho and his family. But the rally on Oct. 3 clearly showed that quite a few people want Cho to step down. In addition to the demands for prosecutorial reform, President Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party should also be paying attention to what the rally participants were saying.

It’s also big news that conservatives who have divided into a mixture of different messages in the past seemed formed a united front. The situation with Cho has effectively lent momentum to the anti-Moon movement from the right. The administration and ruling party need to take a clear-headed look at whether their own governing behavior to date might have provided ammunition for this kind of attack.

The calls for Moon’s resignation or impeachment by some of the rally participants were deeply inappropriate. It is ludicrous to compare this situation with the Choi Sun-sil scandal that ultimately led to former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. We even sense signs of ulterior motives and an attempt to take advantage of things to somehow unseat the president.

Conservatives rally to protest the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and to call for the resignation of Justice Minister Cho Kuk in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on Oct. 3. (Shin So-young, staff photographer)

Most worrying of all is the way the candlelight demonstrations calling for prosecutorial reforms and the “anti-Cho” demonstrations demanding the justice minister’s resignation are triggering each other and escalating into a political competition pitting the two groups against each other. After the number of citizens turning out for the Sept. 28 candlelight rally surpassed expectations, the LKP and conservative Christians appear to have gone all-out in an attempt to surpass their numbers.

With these two rallies, it’s clear to see what both sides are hoping for as they observe the situation. From a national perspective, it’s unfortunate to have them carrying on this “show of strength” as the Cho situation drags out. Both need to show patience and quietly watch and wait for developments in prosecutorial reform and in Cho’s investigation so that everything can run its course without any major problems.

Most of all, the ruling Democratic Party and the leading opposition LKP need to get their bearings so that this doesn’t turn into a wasteful battle of numbers. Neither should seek to encourage things in this case to obtain some kind of political advantage. We need responsible political parties listening to the public and looking for a solution to the situation.

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