Kwak Sang-eon of the Democratic Party of Korea, the son-in-law of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, publicly criticized fellow party lawmaker Choi Min-hee, saying, "Roh Moo-hyun's politics prioritize the interests of the community over one's own." Choi recently invoked the spirit of Roh in connection with controversy over receiving congratulatory cash gifts for her daughter's wedding from an agency under audit during the National Assembly's inspection period, and Kwak squarely pushed back.

Kwak Sang-eon of the Democratic Party of Korea, the son-in-law of former president Roh Moo-hyun, on the 28th says, "Pursuing one's own interests is not the Roh Moo-hyun spirit," directly criticizing Rep. Choi Min-hee. /Courtesy of News1

On the 28th, Kwak wrote on Facebook, "To prevent misunderstanding, let me say one thing," adding, "Disregarding values to pursue profit; choosing for one's own gain rather than the community's benefit; and harming others' interests and the community's values for one's own benefit is not the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun."

He went on, "At the very least, a peddler's whim is not the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun," and shared an article containing Choi's statement.

Choi Min-hee, chair of the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, who is embroiled in the "wedding gift money controversy" over her child's wedding, on the 28th says, "We must stay vigilant so we are not swayed by falsified information," and mentions the Roh Moo-hyun spirit. She is presiding over the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT held on the 24th at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) in Daejeon. /Courtesy of News1

Earlier that day, Choi posted on her Facebook page an article titled "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun, and enlightened citizens!" and argued, "We must stay vigilant so that we are not swayed by false or manipulated information."

She said, "While working on the movement to normalize the press, I have always thought that 'malicious false or manipulated information is a cancer cell that sickens society's values,'" adding, "Despite many efforts through various searches, there was little effect. The conclusion is one! The key is that I, that we, do not lose our judgment."

She concluded, "The organized power of awakened citizens! As enlightened citizens, let us play the role of smart regulatory T cells." She likened "malicious false or manipulated information" to cancer cells in society and compared citizens' critical thinking that is not swayed by manipulated information to "regulatory T cells," emphasizing the "spirit of Roh Moo-hyun." In response, Kwak squarely countered, saying, "Pursuing one's own benefit is not the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun."

Meanwhile, Choi, who is Chairperson of the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, has been embroiled in controversy after it became known that she received congratulatory cash gifts from agencies under audit. On the 20th, during a closed-door National Assembly audit, she also raised issues with an MBC report related to her and expelled MBC's head of news, sparking allegations of "interference in reporting." The People Power Party is pointing to these controversies and demanding that Choi step down as committee chair, while within the Democratic Party, some are defending her, saying, "It also takes courage to selectively refund congratulatory cash gifts that could pose a conflict of interest."

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