'Kangjeokdeul' featured Yeouido wonder women from three parties — Jeon Hyun-hee, Kim Min-jeon and Lee Joo-young — who engaged in an uncompromising clash interpreting public sentiment that struck both ruling and opposition parties immediately after the Chuseok holiday and debating the controversy over the president's appearance on a variety show.
The Oct. 11 broadcast (Sat.) at 9:10 p.m. of TV CHOSUN's 'Kangjeokdeul' was hosted by MC Jin Jung-kwon and attorney Im Yoon-seon and featured Jeon Hyun-hee, Democratic Party of Korea (Jeon Hyun-hee) supreme council member; Kim Min-jeon, People Power Party congresswoman; Lee Joo-young, Reform Party congresswoman; and Kim Gyu-wan, former CBS editorial director, who faced off over hot issues including 'Chuseok public sentiment,' 'Lee Jae-myung president's variety show appearance controversy,' 'the arrest of Lee Jin-sook,' 'controversy over Deputy Minister Kim Hyun-ji,' 'the Cho Hee-dae confirmation hearing clash,' and 'Trump's $350 billion remark.'
First, Jeon Hyun-hee said, "This Chuseok public sentiment was a rebuke of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's failures and a public mandate to end internal strife and restore livelihoods," and asserted, "Expectations for the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea are very high."
The hottest debate was over the controversy about President Lee Jae-myung and his spouse appearing on 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.' Kim Min-jeon shot back, "He was the very person who during the Sewol ferry incident accused Lee Jae-myung, then mayor, of 'what were you doing for seven hours' and even filed a prosecution complaint. A Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting was held about 48 hours after the fire. Is it possible to go on a variety show and laugh?"
Jin Jung-kwon cynically said, "K-food and K-pop are not something the government or politicians can make happen. Presidential involvement can only pour cold water on it," and Lee Joo-young criticized, "This is not an issue of variety shows but of lying. Unnecessary disputes grew because it wasn't clearly disclosed from the start."
The clash continued over the arrest of former Korea Communications Commission chairman Lee Jin-sook. Kim Min-jeon said, "This seems like a sign of the police moving toward a security state. The Democratic Party is doing everything we could imagine," and criticized, "The party that abolished a 78-year-old prosecution office is now moving the police as well."
A heated exchange also unfolded over the continuing misalignment between the presidential office and the ruling party. Regarding Woo Sang-ho, senior secretary for political affairs', "temperature gap between the party and the government" remark, Kim Gyu-wan said, "Woo Sang-ho said, 'The president cannot understand the Cho Hee-dae confirmation hearing,'" suggesting the president's discomfort with the hard-liners on the Judiciary Committee.
The Cho Hee-dae confirmation hearing for the chief justice also turned into a fiery debate. Kim Min-jeon said, "Calling the chief justice to appear before the legislature exists in no democratic country," and argued it was "an act that undermines the separation of powers."
That day's 'Kangjeokdeul' began with a warm variety-show atmosphere as they shared Chuseok afterstories but quickly turned into a full-blown current affairs battleground as the ruling and opposition panelists made heated remarks that drew attention.
TV CHOSUN's 'Kangjeokdeul' airs every Saturday at 9:10 p.m.
[Photo] provided
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