Democratic Party Distances Itself from Lee Jong-won Scandal

Reporter Kang Jin-gu stated, "Now, regarding the public opinion manipulation by Sisa Tapa's Lee Jong-won, Kim Min-seok, the supreme council member and party leader, reacted the very next day after it was reported, and today, finally, this case has been assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency." He added that Kim Min-seok's reaction occurred immediately after the incident, and media coverage has surged since the case was assigned.

The allegations are reportedly related to the acquisition of Ithaca Holdings in the U.S.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu quoted Representative Cho's remarks, saying, "There can be debates within the Democratic Party. However, they attacked me and former representative Jeong Cheong-rae as being weak. They attacked Representative Jeong as seeking party leadership and me as seeking the presidency, claiming we were weak, which is a complete fabrication." Representative Cho demanded an apology for the spread of false information regarding party mergers.

The live chat on New Tam Sa was flooded with opposition to the merger. Reporter Kang Jin-gu stated, "The chat window was completely plastered with opposition to the merger. Those in the Cho Kuk Innovation Party seem to think that the party leader or a few party officials decide on the merger, but the party members are the owners of the party." He conveyed the critical view of party members regarding the decision-making body for the merger.

Representative Yoon Kun-young criticized the Blue House's cabinet reshuffle, pointing out a 'lack of delicacy.' Reporter Kang Jin-gu quoted Representative Yoon's remarks, saying, "He criticized this Blue House personnel change, stating that Kim Yong-beom's voluntary resignation timing seemed thoughtless, indicating a reshuffle lacking delicacy." This is noteworthy as it can be interpreted as a shift in the critical stance of Representative Yoon, who is considered a spokesperson for the pro-Moon faction.

Criticism within the Democratic Party regarding Representative Yong Hye-in's nomination for a cabinet position is spreading. Reporter Kang Jin-gu stated, "Even Deputy Spokesperson Seo Yong-joo is criticizing Yong Hye-in's nomination, saying her ambition is excessive, which indicates that Representative Yong Hye-in, the nominee, is in a difficult situation right now." With even Seo Yong-joo, who previously represented the pro-Lee faction's stance, joining the criticism, internal concerns and negative sentiments regarding Representative Yong Hye-in's nomination are confirmed.

Representative Kim Min-seok stated, "I am listening to various opinions and observing the situation; coincidentally, her office is right next to mine." He suggested that he is reserving criticism given that it is a pre-hearing stage. He conveyed the official position that he respects and listens to public opinion.

Representative Kim Min-seok stated, "I have opened a channel with the Cho Kuk Innovation Party to begin dialogue. Whether to merge is completely undecided, and both parties should discuss and decide." This emphasizes that the merger is undecided and a matter for both parties to discuss and judge, showing a positive stance on alliance but not rushing into a merger.

An interpretation has emerged that there is a political message in the way Representative Kim Min-seok reads texts. Reporter Kang Jin-gu analyzed, "He said this was the result of internal discussions and read from a text. So, I believe this contains the message that this is not his personal opinion but the official party stance, and this stance will not easily change." This is interpreted as Kim Min-seok's intention to clarify that it is an official party line, not a personal opinion, and points out misinterpretations by legacy media and misreading of signals by the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.

The Democratic Party is evolving and strengthening its own YouTube speaker strategy. The cast members mentioned, "The Democratic Party now has a speaker with 50,000 concurrent viewers," emphasizing the expanded use of the Democratic Party's own official YouTube channel. Productivity has increased fivefold compared to the time of former party leader Jeong Cheong-rae, and the party is shifting from relying on individual YouTubers to directly delivering messages.

The cast stated, "An article came out saying he was virtually dismissed. His philosophy on national unity was quite different from that of the Lee Jae-myung administration." This is believed to be due to philosophical differences with party leader Lee Jae-myung, and the possibility of Lee Seok-hyun seeking a role within the Reform Party or the ruling bloc is being raised.

The cast explained, "Park Jin-young is working as the chairman of the Popular Culture Exchange Committee, and he went on a business trip to the US, but he extended his schedule due to personal appointments. The National Assembly issued a cautionary measure regarding this." Criticism regarding the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's insufficient fact-finding, concerns about backlash, and the unclear decision-making process at the National Assembly are being pointed out as problems.

In particular, an investigation will be conducted into the abnormal figures that produced results favorable to Team Jeong Cheong-rae.

The speaker at the scene emphasized, "We previously called for a thorough investigation into the allegations of inducing false responses and obstruction of business that arose during the Democratic Party's national convention public opinion survey process, and strict measures at the party level." They argued that Lee Jong-won's actions destroyed the fairness of the Democratic Party's national convention and constituted obstruction of business, demanding the resignation of Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yoon.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu expressed anticipation for the investigation results, saying, "Now that this grim reaper-like Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit has taken on this case, we can have some expectations, especially since there is undeniable evidence." The investigation into Lee Jong-won's alleged manipulation of public opinion polls is expected to deepen.

It has been alleged that Lee Jong-won cut off contact with reporters and went into hiding after allegations of public opinion manipulation were raised. Reporter Kang Jin-gu explained, "When I asked if he intended to voluntarily submit his phone since the party was investigating, it showed as unread. From that point on, Lee Jong-won stopped answering my calls and texts, blocking me." Communication ceased when the reporter requested a list of 200 names and submission of his phone, and it is also suggested that he may have disposed of the phone used at the time.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu asserted, "If the 200 cases are true, it's highly likely that Team Jeong Cheong-rae organizations across the country collected this information and sent it to Lee Jong-won." This analysis suggests that it is statistically impossible for a personal broadcast to induce 200 responses out of a 4,000-person sample, and that Team Jeong Cheong-rae's organization likely collected and delivered the information to Lee Jong-won.

The remaining Team Jeong Cheong-rae members are understood to be silent, fearing association with Lee Jong-won.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu questioned the judgment that the disciplinary action itself was not valid, stating, "Han Dong-soo, the head of the Ethics Tribunal, judged that this act itself could not be considered a reason for disciplinary action. So, it wasn't that the reason for disciplinary action was recognized but the punishment was heavy, but rather that the reason for disciplinary action itself wasn't even established." This ruling is criticized for potentially legitimizing vote intervention by campaign workers in future elections.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu quoted Han Dong-soo's message, saying, "I support and congratulate those who gathered to dismantle the 'prosecutor dictatorship.' I pay tribute to their courage and practical ability. Although I am a small and inadequate person, I will join their cause and wholeheartedly help." This is pointed out as an instance of 'coming out' that contradicts his previous claims of neutrality, drawing criticism for revealing his political alignment.

The birth and origin of the name of the pro-Japanese collaborator Bae Jeong-ja have been revealed. According to historian Bae Gi-seong, Bae Jeong-ja's birth name was Bae Bun-nam, and she was the daughter of the local official Bae Ji-hong. Her father's execution by Emperor Gojong led Bae Jeong-ja to resent the emperor. Later, Hirobumi Ito, seeing Bae Jeong-ja, remarked that she resembled his deceased daughter Sadako and said, "Take the name of my deceased daughter Sadako. So, Jeong-ja, her name Bae Jeong-ja was given by Hirobumi Ito," explaining that Hirobumi Ito himself gave her the name 'Jeong-ja'.

Historian Bae Gi-seong stated, "Akashi Motojiro gives her 1,600 won as a reward, telling her to report Emperor Gojong's every move. 1,600 won is equivalent to about 1.6 billion won today. She told Akashi Motojiro that Emperor Gojong had a plan in three days, and Akashi Motojiro then surrounded Emperor Gojong and thwarted the plan." Hired as a spy by Akashi Motojiro for 1,600 won (approximately 1.6 billion won today), Bae Jeong-ja leaked Emperor Gojong's plan to seek asylum in Vladivostok, playing a decisive role in the Japanese military police surrounding Emperor Gojong and thwarting his asylum plan.