Park Jie-won: "Kim Minseok Must Take Responsibility If He Fails to Provide Evidence for 'Shincheonji Intervention Allegation'"

Park Ji-won, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the allegations raised by Kim Minseok's campaign regarding the suspected involvement of the Shincheonji religious group in the party’s convention, stating, "If Kim fails to present evidence, then he must take responsibility for his claims."

Former Prime Minister Kim Minseok, who is running for the leadership of the Democratic Party, visited Sejong City on the 27th and had a conversation with Mayor Cho Sangho. Yonhap News

On July 27, during an appearance on SBS Radio’s "Kim Taehyun's Political Show," Park said, "The Democratic Party’s August 17 convention, instead of being the ruling party’s leadership race, is turning into a ‘Myeongcheong War’ and a ‘Shincheonji War,’" expressing his views on the matter.

He pointed out, "Since Kim is the overwhelming frontrunner, he should be cautious. I am puzzled as to why he has raised such an issue."

He continued, "If this issue has already been brought up and there is no other choice, then the standard applied to the People Power Party should be equally strong for the Democratic Party. Kim must provide evidence, and the Democratic Party, too, should be held legally accountable through a proper investigation by law enforcement."

When asked by the host what should happen if Kim cannot present appropriate evidence, Park replied, "Kim was just recently the Prime Minister, and before the December 3 Martial Law during the last presidential election, he, as the senior supreme council member, raised suspicions of a coup, which ultimately proved to be true. So, I trust Kim's words that there may indeed have been involvement at either an organizational level or, even if only at the local district level, in this Shincheonji matter."

However, he added, "The responsibility for providing appropriate evidence lies with Kim himself," and emphasized, "Regardless of the political context, Kim is ultimately the one who must bear all responsibility."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.