Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Institute at the Rebuilding Korea Party, pushed back on the 4th against criticism of his decision to act as a "red team" for the government and the ruling party, asking what benefit the president would gain from the creation of yet another anti-Lee figure.
Writing on Facebook that day, Cho said he had presented an objective assessment of the situation and possible responses out of loyalty, only to be attacked as "ungrateful" or as "banging on the wrong door" without any consideration of his intent. "I knocked loudly on the gate as a warning signal, precisely to repay what I owe, and they threw filth at me, saying I was making noise," he said. "That kind of slander and mockery will do nothing to solve the problems the president faces, nor to restore the government's approval ratings."
Cho had earlier argued that fabricated indictment must first be established as fact if it is to serve as grounds for withdrawing charges. "If they push through the withdrawal of charges against President Lee, they will inevitably suffer politically and legally," he said. He has also voiced concerns over the government's tax code revision plan and other measures, prompting Democratic Party lawmakers to respond that his remarks were "ungrateful" and "cannot be the language of a comrade."
Political observers said the Rebuilding Korea Party is raising its profile by taking an adversarial stance toward the government and the ruling party. Kim Joon-hyung, the party's floor leader, also cited media reports that the government is considering sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, saying a troop dispatch is "a line that must not be crossed under any circumstances." Kim characterized the U.S.-Iran war as an "illegal war of aggression" and criticized the idea as exposing the citizens and soldiers the government is meant to protect to the dangers of war instead.
