Ju Jin-woo rebuts special counsel's 'insurrection frame,' raises responsibility of Lee Jae-myung

This expresses his resolve to confront head-on the political attacks aimed at him.

He said he clearly testified about the situation at the time and rebutted all 130 questions prepared by the prosecutors. He argued that the prosecutors' questions instead helped break the special counsel's logic.

This emphasizes that his conduct stemmed from a defensive judgment rather than a partisan motive.

He pointed out that even Democratic lawmakers, who held 150 seats at the time, asked the Speaker to hold the vote quickly, yet Uh kept postponing it. He cited the fact that the vote took place only after Lee arrived at the National Assembly, stressing that it was a serious problem for the Assembly's schedule to be aligned with a specific person's schedule.

This raises questions about the special counsel's investigative standards and stresses that the charges against him are unjust.

He questioned why the notice issue was raised only against Chu Kyung-ho, criticizing the special counsel's double standard.

He argued he could not understand why the National Assembly, with about 180 individual constitutional lawmakers gathered, had to wait for one specific person, Lee Jae-myung. He stressed that by the special counsel's logic, the delay caused by Lee Jae-myung is itself an obstruction of the vote and should be investigated.

He mentioned that the specifics may be disclosed later, but that the nature of the trial changed due to his testimony, implying he will not let up on his attacks on Lee Jae-myung.

This remark is interpreted as an expression of his intent to draw a line against certain forces within the party and firm up his independent political path.

He expressed dissatisfaction with being criticized for attending an event where Rep. Lee Seong-geon invited others, including former leader Han Dong-hoon, as a Busan lawmaker. Rep. Ju emphasized the principle that while one may criticize despite differing political positions, lawmakers should protect colleagues in difficulty rather than condemn them, and he made clear he will not attend such events if this kind of 'foul play' happens again.

Rep. Ju Jin-woo said he "honestly felt bad" when, during questioning, questions were raised pressing him with remarks from colleagues, namely Kim Jong-hyeok, Rep. Cho Kyung-tae, and former leader Han Dong-hoon.

He strongly criticized such remarks, which are not even the Democratic Party's position, as acts that put a colleague in trouble. Rep. Ju said he is not by nature one to condemn others and had let Rep. Cho Kyung-tae pass for the most part, but that mentioning unfavorable content about a colleague when he was going in for questioning is "really not okay," raising his voice.

He stressed that a party is a 'community of like-minded people,' and that such a community does not criticize colleagues from behind or attack them, but rather helps them without hesitation when they are in trouble. He added that the act of pushing a colleague into a corner instead of protecting them runs counter to the party's fundamental spirit.

Rep. Ju Jin-woo declared that, although he had let minor criticism within the party pass until now, he would change course and no longer hold back criticism. He explained that repeated 'who did better, you or me' disputes within the party would prevent him from focusing on the fight with the Democratic Party. Citing the conduct of Chair Yoon Sang-hyun as an example, he warned that he would sharply criticize wrongful remarks or actions just as he criticizes the Democratic Party. He judged that letting intraparty criticism slide now actually weakens his combat capacity, and said he would respond with determination from now on.

He said the current smears are too malicious and that the very idea itself is malicious. He expressed strong dissatisfaction with some forces that seem to care only about the party convention rather than fighting the Democratic Party, noting that the party leader's term has a lot left and no convention is even being held, and said he would respond forcefully to any spread of false information.

He stressed that he had never pursued personal gain and that he refused the offer without even a minute of hesitation.

He explained that there were people supporting candidate Park Hyung-jun at the time, and that he judged it more important to keep the entire Busan election from being swept up by the Democratic Party than to become Busan mayor himself. He argued that if the Democratic Party had swept Seoul mayor and the rest, Lee Jae-myung could have been re-elected and pursued constitutional revision, emphasizing that his decision was for victory in the bigger picture.

He stressed that he has moved consistently toward this goal, and that all his videos, interviews, and remarks match exactly what he thinks now, previewing future attacks on Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party.

He made this point clear, stressing that he will confront without exception any force that obstructs his goals. This shows his willingness to accept intraparty conflict to achieve his political objectives.

Rep. Ju again warned that he will no longer tolerate it if anyone touches him, previewing a strong response.

He has not yet made it, but asked people to have high expectations once the song comes out. This is interpreted as a new attempt to effectively convey his political message to the public and rally his base.