Shin Jang-sik, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, said remarks by Cho Kuk, head of the party's Innovation Policy Institute, about the possibility of a guilty verdict for President Lee Jae-myung in his election law case were a call to "revise the laws that need revising, and build up the facts properly where the indictment needs to be withdrawn."
Shin made the comment on the 3rd on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show," asking in return, "Did the institute head say that (the president) should be found guilty?" Shin said the point was that "under the current legal reasoning and legal framework there is a possibility of a guilty verdict, so a fundamental solution requires a universal and general approach." He added that it was "a matter of establishing the facts and building the case up sufficiently, which raises the likelihood of public acceptance."
Cho had earlier argued for the need to withdraw the indictments in cases involving the president, while stating that establishing the facts around what he called "fabricated indictments" and revising the law had to come first. Citing the guilty verdict against former President Yoon Suk-yeol for publishing false information under the Public Official Election Act, Cho said of the president's election law case that "unless the Supreme Court's legal reasoning is overturned again, a guilty verdict is very likely in the appellate retrial that resumes after his term."
The remarks drew a sharp backlash within the Democratic Party of Korea, including accusations of ingratitude. Responding to that criticism, Shin said he was not sure "whether approaching a call to raise public acceptance with a strange frame, as if someone were setting out a bowl of clean water and praying, is truly the way to help President Lee." He added, "I also heard that there were comments at the presidential office along the lines of, 'Why didn't we think of this?'"
On the selection of Lee Hae-min as senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning, Shin stressed that there had been ample communication with the presidential office. "Cho Kuk, Shin Jang-sik, Lee Hae-min and the presidential office communicated fully," he said. "Because this concerns the president's appointment authority, talk of who was bypassed or who got their feelings hurt is a very small-minded view."
On an alliance or merger with the Democratic Party, Shin stressed that restoring trust and establishing principles come first. "Talking about an alliance or a merger now is not particularly important," he said. "It can amount to nothing more than abstract words and lip service." He added, "We have consistently said that trust has to be restored."
Shin showed discomfort over the Democratic Party's appointment of former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam as standing vice chair of its policy committee. "It runs counter to the president's message of alliance and unity, to the point that it makes you wonder whether they are being deliberately obstructive," he said.
Meanwhile, on remarks by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-kye that working-level officials from the two parties had held talks on a merger or alliance, Shin said, "There was no such thing." He added, "In the end, Park called Secretary-General Jung Choon-sook and apologized, saying, 'I'm sorry. The facts were confirmed incorrectly.'"
