Cheon Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform Party, publicly targeted broadcaster Kim Ou-joon, saying, "At this point, it goes beyond factional logic. His brain has been completely pickled in conspiracy theories and delusions."
Cheon made the remarks at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 13th, calling it "an outrageous statement that deceives both the victim and the public by consuming a horrific violent crime and suspicions of corruption in public authority as material for political conspiracy theories."
Kim recently stood at the center of controversy after saying on his YouTube channel "Kim Ou-joon's Modesty Is Difficult - News Factory," in relation to the Gwangju high school girl murder case (the Jang Yoon-gi case), "Cases of this level happen several times a year," and "They are stirring up public opinion, claiming that the supplementary investigation authority should not be abolished on the basis of Jang Yoon-gi."
On this point, Cheon countered, "Suspicions have been raised that a person in power tried to shake the law and procedures to protect his son, and that the police organization shielded a criminal." He added, "The public continues to pay attention because this is an unprecedented case combining the brutality of the crime with public distrust of the police organization."
He then pointed out, "Is a case in which a high school girl was murdered and the police systematically helped the perpetrator something that 'can happen several times a year'? If cases like this were occurring several times a year in the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea should already have collapsed."
He also said, "What is even harder to understand is that Kim claimed the reason this case continues to be reported is not because of public anger or the gravity of the case, but because of the media's intent to block the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority." He continued, "The only assessment that comes to mind is 'severe.'" He then strongly criticized Kim, saying, "I want to ask Kim Ou-joon: Can you function normally in society?"
Cheon also urged the Democratic Party, "You must not turn away from this reality." He said, "This case occurred in Gwangju, the core support base of the Democratic Party," and asked in return, "Even before the tragedy suffered by the citizens of Gwangju, will the Democratic Party look only to the factional religious belief of abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority?"
He further emphasized, "The Democratic Party should not hide behind conspiratorial claims like those of Kim Ou-joon, but must answer to the victim and the public." He added, "They must face the loopholes in the investigation system revealed by this case and immediately halt the push to abolish the supplementary investigation authority."
