There has been a public outcry for the resignation of Kang Jun-wook, the presidential secretary for national integration, known for past comments defending the martial law of December 3 and referring to the Democratic Party of Korea as 'communists.'
Shin Jeong-hoon, the chairperson of the Public Administration and Security Committee and a member of the Democratic Party, posted on Facebook on the morning of the 21st criticizing Secretary Kang, stating, 'At a time when Yoon Suk-yeol's constitutional destruction and conspiracy for rebellion are clearly revealed in history, a person who wrapped this as a 'legitimate act' and branded democracy as barbarism is now talking about national integration at the presidential office. This is mocking the people and an insult that tarnishes the very words of integration.'
He further stated, 'This is a person who is in direct opposition to President Lee Jae-myung's national philosophy, and if there are no immediate personnel measures, the entire government could fall into public suspicion of condoning this barbaric language and behavior,' publicly urging for immediate dismissal.
Lee Un-joo, a supreme council member of the Democratic Party, also stated during an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that 'while we can embrace people with a broad spectrum in the spirit of integration, there are lines that must not be crossed. This recent presidential election was to put an end to rebellion, wasn't it? Claiming that there is no problem with the rebellion and that it was rather justified is a very serious issue.'
He added, 'The government is working hard to end the rebellion and investigating it, but will (the appointment of Secretary Kang) really have persuasive power? If it was a mistake, we need to reconsider.'
A member of the Democratic Party also mentioned, 'There is a line in integration as well. Advocating rebellion crosses that line. Appointments from local regions or other parties can be made within the scope of integration, but this seems somewhat out of the question,' adding, 'It seems that integration is being hindered instead. Shouldn't he resign himself?'
Secretary Kang, a former professor at Dongguk University, was appointed on the 15th. He is responsible for gathering public opinions and implementing policies for integration under the newly expanded National Integration Chief Secretary Office following the Lee Jae-myung administration.
However, Secretary Kang's recent book titled 'Barbaric Democracy,' published in March of this year, has drawn controversy as it reportedly defends martial law by stating that 'the act of equating the president's authority to declare martial law with rebellion is nothing more than the propaganda framing of 'martial law = rebellion',' bringing the issue to light late. In July 2020, Secretary Kang also commented in a lecture, 'On the other side, there are the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party. It feels like there are some extreme communists and just regular communists.'
In response to the controversy, Secretary Kang issued a statement the day before, saying, 'I humbly accept the criticism and apologize to the people,' and added, 'I have inflicted deep wounds on the people who have suffered under martial law for several months with the content and expressions in my book.'