단상斷想

"Power is defined not by its weight, but by its use." However, Kwon Seong-dong's recent actions only show the use of responsibility and ethics that have disappeared while only taking care of the weight of power, and are far from a noble politician image. As the Kim Gun-hee special investigation proceeds, he is revealing the true colors of a miser who has made a fortune by acting as a link between Korean politics and religion, not only as a local powerful force. The special prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Assemblyman Kwon Seong-dong on charges of receiving 100 million won in cash from the Unification Church. The special investigation team believes that the Unification Church approached Yoon Seok-yeol's camp and Kim Gun-hee, who were leading candidates before and after the 20th presidential election, and conducted all-round lobbying. At the center is Assemblyman Kwon. Assemblyman Kwon's behavior is shaking the very foundation of Korean society, the principle of separation of church and state, and causing huge repercussions. And on the 11th, an arrest motion against Assemblyman Kwon Seong-dong, who is accused of receiving illegal political funds, was passed at the National Assembly with 173 votes in favor and 1 vote against out of 177 members.

Behind this lies the subordination of power—the collusive relationship with the Unification Church. Suspicions of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church, suspicions of golf entertainment at a golf course owned by the Unification Church, and a video packaged as the so-called "Masked Golf King"—(investigated by the citizen media Newstapa) all show how irrationally Representative Kwon's political steps are being taken. Regarding this video, he argued, "I paid with my own money," but his attitude of mentioning private gatherings at that 'Unification Church golf course' where the suspicion arose is a typical case of brazenness. Suspicions of collusion with the Unification Church and bribery are suspected of violating the Political Funds Act, bribery, and illegal presidential election funds. The claim that "Bribery, possibility of illegal presidential election funds... National subsidies must be returned" also supports this.

And the circumstances surrounding the Philippine loan project clearly reveal how far Kwon Seong-dong's greed can go. The Philippine rural modular bridge project, which the Yoon Seok-yeol government was promoting, was originally an EDCF loan project with a scale of installing bridges in 350 locations, worth approximately $510 million (700 billion won). However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance judged it "difficult to support" in February 2024, citing the dispersion of local infrastructure, the complexity of local permits, and the poor/corrupt history of local consultants, and officially notified the Philippine government of this in April. This decision was a reasonable judgment that seriously worried about the possibility of poor business itself. However, Rep. Kwon Seong-dong directly pressured the Minister of Strategy and Finance, who remained unmoved—with the remark that "nickel mine mining rights can be secured from the Philippine government," and tried to revive the project by emphasizing the willingness of large construction companies to participate. In the end, the project size was reduced, and the Export-Import Bank returned to the stage of conducting a feasibility study (F/S). This pressure was clearly for his own political gain and the construction industry cartel, rather than the public interest.

At this point, President Lee Jae-myung's decision to order the withdrawal of the project is by no means an excessive judgment. Rather, it was a minimal defensive act to restore public trust and protect public procedures and the national system. The attempt to push forward a project with clear concerns about poor construction and corruption under political pressure is an arrogance of power that forgets the existence of the nation and the interests of the people, and correcting this is the duty of the national leader. Isn't it a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Kwon Seong-dong, I hope you will please think about what the people will feel about the reality that he is raising his voice, saying that President Lee Jae-myung's order to suspend the 'Philippine loan project' is "killing political rivals."

Our daily lives flow quickly, but within that, the standard of justice must still be alive. Kwon Seong-dong's actions are like the seeds of corruption seeping deep into the soil like groundwater. We must stand against these forces that shake the law, as well as morality, justice, and public will. Neither the law, nor morality, nor the common sense of the people will succumb to Assemblyman Kwon Seong-dong's greed, and President Lee Jae-myung's decision was a declaration of this common sense. All that remains is the question of whether the political world will stand on a higher ethical standard, or whether it will ultimately be trapped in its own castle and collapse. The people are watching. Politics is ultimately a choice of 'courage to uphold justice over profit'. President Lee Jae-myung's order to withdraw, in the face of Assemblyman Kwon Seong-dong's arrogance, was precisely that choice of justice.

Moreover, the corruption case that occurred in the Gangwon-do Gangneung area does not allow Representative Kwon Seong-dong any freedom. In the past, during the Gangwon Land recruitment corruption case, despite his qualifications as a prosecutor, he was suspected of exerting external pressure on prosecutor Yang Bu-nam, who was in charge of the investigation. The case itself was concluded as not guilty, but there has been constant criticism that there was a twisted collusion between political power and judicial power behind it. If he is so confident, I hope he will reveal why he changed his cell phone and tried to destroy various evidence by contacting investigators with a borrowed-name cell phone when special prosecutor Min Jung-ki requested an arrest warrant and the investigation began.

However, criticism here cannot be limited to Kwon Seong-dong alone. Kwon Seong-dong has long lost his qualifications as a politician due to numerous suspicions, corruption, and greedy actions. Expecting conscience and responsibility from him is as futile as finding water in the desert. The problem is the complacency and regional egoism of voters who still send such a person to the National Assembly simply because he is 'from our region.' The moment you protect a corrupt politician for the benefit of a specific region, the damage ultimately returns to the entire nation and the trust in democracy.

Politics is never a tool for personal or small regional interests. Repeatedly electing figures like Kwon Seong-dong is an act of deceiving oneself and a choice that sickens the nation. The complacency of local voters who remain at a standard lower than the people's expectations is the very foundation of political corruption today. Now, we need a mature political choice that looks beyond regional interests to the justice of the nation and the community. Kwon Seong-dong is just a greedy person in the guise of a politician, and all citizens must be keenly aware that supporting such a person is tantamount to condoning corruption.