NY Times tries to characterize political instability in South Korea

[soryang]

In Seoul, Crowds Denounce a Divisive Politician. Days Later, Others Defend Him
By Choe Sang-Hun NY Times
Oct. 12

SEOUL, South Korea — For weeks, huge crowds have been gathering in Seoul to denounce a man named Cho Kuk — or to defend him.

Mr. Cho, South Korea’s justice minister, and his family are being investigated over a number of allegations, ranging from financial malfeasance to pulling strings to get a daughter into medical school. Demonstrators, most of them conservatives who oppose President Moon Jae-in, have rallied in large numbers to demand Mr. Cho’s arrest and Mr. Moon’s impeachment.

“Lord, please save this country by dragging Moon Jae-in out of office as soon as possible,” the Rev. Jeon Kwang-hoon, ​head of the Christian Council of Korea​, said at an enormous rally this month.

But others see the issue very differently. Mr. Cho had been tasked by Mr. Moon with overhauling the national prosecutors’ office — the same agency now investigating him. Progressive supporters of the president have held increasingly large counterprotests, accusing the prosecutors of targeting Mr. Cho to preserve their own power..

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/world/asia/south-korea-protests.html

It's a pretty lengthy article that refers to Cho Kuk as the "divisive politician" at the center of the political confrontation characterized by huge partisan crowds in the streets that haven't been seen since the impeachment of President Park Geun Hye. But that is really a mischaracterization because it is the far right Liberty Korea party that has been divisive by attempting to use any means possible to block reforms that would lessen their power.

The questions raised concerning possible corruption of Cho Kuk's family members are a peripheral issue. The prosecutorial reforms are important but not the key threat to conservatives. The principal pending reform is a legislative electoral reform that is going to reduce Liberty Korea Party representation in the National Assembly potentially by as many as twenty seats and increase the representation of progressive party members allied with Moon Jae-In and his Democratic Party. The far right in South Korea is desperately seeking a way to derail Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party administration and they may try anything including violence in the streets to get there. The question is why does the party that applauds the former far right dictatorships of the past carry US flags in their demonstrations?