Cho Won-jin said, "The investigation should be conducted excluding the special prosecutor or the election committee."

[YTN radio news fighting, this is Youngsoo Kim]

□ Broadcasting: FM 94.5 (07:15-09:00)
□ Broadcast date and time: January 22, 2025 (Wednesday)
□ Host: Youngsoo Kim Anchor
□ Cast: Cho Won-jin, leader of the Republican Party of Korea

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

[Please clarify that this is the interview of YTN Radio <News Fighting, Kim Young-soo Youngsoo Kim>]]

◆ Youngsoo Kim Anchor (hereinafter referred to as Youngsoo Kim): YTN Radio News Fighting Youngsoo Kim. We'll continue with all of Wednesday's kkakgi. Cho Won-jin is here at the Republican Party's representative studio. Please come in.

◇ Our Republican Party Chairman Cho Won-jin (hereinafter referred to as Cho Won-jin): Nice to meet you.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Nice to meet you. Jungkook is confused right now. And now, President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the third hearing of the impeachment trial yesterday and actively made his argument. There are conflicting arguments with the commanders who said they had never ordered lawmakers to be pulled out at the time of the emergency martial law, saying they had lived with one belief in liberal democracy.

◇ Cho Won-jin: A lot of things that came out of that rebellion plot are being reversed. The problem was that you told someone to kill you, and you answered that it was absurd. He also exercises his right to defend himself, and he unilaterally talks about what has been in the media, so he has to match it with other witnesses. President Yoon Suk Yeol's appearance at the impeachment court yesterday came out well for his right to self-defense. And he was given the opportunity to say everything he could. That's how you look at it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. However, the commanders who played a major role in the martial law crisis at the time attended various hearings such as the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. At that time, President Yoon received direct instructions. Do you think it's a one-sided claim after answering the phone?

◇ Cho Won-jin: So the commanders are also adopted as witnesses, so there will be a debate about that outcome in the Constitutional Court. The president of the Yoon Suk Yeol said that he was not broadcasting live, but he was being broadcasted, so we can't deny that he did that. It's going to be revealed what the commanders stated and which is true. Anyway, the commanders also adopted witnesses from the National Assembly's prosecution team. Such consequences will come to light in some circumstances. Isn't that the right to defend? That's why President Yoon Suk Yeol came to the Constitutional Court directly, and in that regard, I think it's obvious.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Who do you think is telling the truth?

◇ Cho Won-jin: Well, from my point of view, the president of Yoon Suk Yeol comes out and lies? That would be a very difficult situation. So we have to wait and see when it comes to that. I want to put more weight on the president of Yoon Suk Yeol. Let me tell you this.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, it came out in the third impeachment hearing yesterday and I think it will come out in the future. What do you think is the reason why you are actively participating in impeachment hearings?

◇ Cho Won-jin: The Constitutional Court is the only one who can express his or her intention while he is in custody. Now, I asked for a live broadcast, but the Constitutional Court recorded it and now you can see it if you go inside the Constitutional Court.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: It's actually been delayed.

◇ Cho Won-jin: It's been broadcasted anyway. You say everything you want to say to those people. It's a natural right for an impeached president.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: The opposition party argues that the message of gathering supporters is to go to the court hearing.

◇ Cho Won-jin: It's the solidarity of the supporters. It's already solidarity. Because the gap is approaching 50% depending on the pollster, the solidarity of the support base is unexpectedly gathering quickly. People now know so much about the so-called pushy impeachment of President Yoon and the wrong interpretation of the law by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit through YouTube and SNS. And in fact, there is a rapid change in the polls in 2030. From that point of view, it can be expected that the solidarity of the support base will be more.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Regarding the poll, a poll by the Realmeter Energy Economy Newspaper from the 16th to the 17th showed 46.5% of the public's support for power and 39% of the Democratic Party. Compared to the previous survey, people's power rose 5.7 percentage points and Democrats fell 3.2 percentage points. What do you think is the reason for this current trend of opinion polls?

◇ Cho Won-jin: First, is the application of the law fair and in accordance with the common sense of the people? It's not the people's idea of this. Second, did Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party of Korea do it properly? That is not the case either. Then, public opinion has moved now, and the pace of change is moving very rapidly, and the approval rating of the 2030 generation, which was not close to President Yoon Suk Yeol, has risen sharply, which is partly due to the people's judgment on whether they comply with the law or the Constitution in this impeachment situation. That's how you look at it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, we conducted the poll with the wired/wireless ARS method mentioned just a moment ago. For more information, please visit the website of the Central Election Public Opinion Review Committee. However, in the opposition camp, it is oversampling by conservative supporters. In fact, it is argued that the opinion polls are showing that way because the taxation was reflected.

◇ Cho Won-jin: The Democratic Party denied it when 40% of the polls came out. That's why I even created a special opinion poll committee and it's being disgraced. In fact, that's how the Democratic Party trusts pollsters come out. So the Democratic Party of Korea created a special investigation committee and I did that then. If the special investigation committee only makes accusations as the Democratic Party says, it will probably be innocent. The Democratic Party should know the current trend. If the Democratic Party continues to deny this, the Democratic Party will inevitably fall into a swamp. There is already a huge change in public opinion in various situations, but the Democratic Party continues to deny it. Even so, it doesn't mean that the people did it because the power of the people was good. In the end, the people judge themselves. Then there is the backlash against the coercive arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol and the removal of the rebellion charges contained in the impeachment motion. These situations reflect public opinion that something is wrong with the public. That's how you do it. This trend of public opinion will continue a little longer in the future. However, it is the right-wing side's opinion that President Yoon Suk Yeol wants to be dismissed, but in fact, the Democratic Party is advantageous because it cannot be dismissed and is cited and going to an early presidential election. Before that, I thought it was advantageous, but the current situation is not at all, so the Democratic Party of Korea will be in trouble. But now, the people are watching closely how the power of the people is done here.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, the power of the people is responding to various political issues. Do you think I'm doing well?

◇ Cho Won-jin: I can't. The power of the people is not leading now, but it depends on public opinion. Didn't the people make the revolutionary contribution to the impeachment of this impeachment trial before that? If there were no lawmakers who did not actually approve of the prosecution bill for impeachment, wouldn't there be this result? It doesn't go until impeachment. The people also see the responsibility of the people's power for that. Instead, the phobia of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, will now be a huge ruling party, or nearly 180 seats, if Lee Jae-myung takes power, and the so-called Democratic Party's 23 bills, which the so-called Yoon Suk Yeol President rejected, will be passed. There are a lot of people here for a lot of reasons. In that regard, the Democratic Party of Korea says it will change now, but time has already passed for the Democratic Party's story to be eaten by the people. In that sense, the power of the people and the responsibility for the cause should be taken. That's what I have in mind.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: CEO Cho argued that the execution of a warrant by the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit without the right to investigate this rebellion is illegal. And you said that it is also illegal to exclude the most important rebellion in the impeachment motion, for what reason?

◇ Cho Won-jin: When I first made the Corruption Investigations Unit Act, and when I made a satellite proportional party, I fought for a tent at the National Assembly for 39 days as a member of the National Assembly. At that time, there was a lot of controversy over where to put the foreign exchange part of the rebellion when making the Corruption Investigations Unit Act. I clearly put him as a police officer at that time. Because even those who claim to create the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit saw that the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit was not capable of that level. I handed it over to the police. Then most of the people know that the police have the right to investigate. Members of Congress know it. However, the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit, which does not have the right to investigate, requested a warrant with the right to investigate. In addition, the investigation is conducted with abuse of authority, and the Public Offices will conduct an investigation through abuse of authority to deal with the issue of civil war far greater than abuse of authority. It slipped from here. And that's now illegal if you say it wrong legally. Since I don't have the right to investigate, I'm investigating, so what I'm arguing about is that it's meaningless if you hand it over to the police who have the right to investigate according to the law and the Senior Civil Servant Corruption Investigations Unit sweeps it. Hurry up and hand it over to the prosecution because you've already lost your trust. So why the people are so angry and changing in that regard, the common sense of fairness that they are violating the law has collapsed. Many people are judging on that. That's how you look at it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. In President Yoon's third argument yesterday. There were comments about fraudulent elections. First of all, what do you think about the claim of fraudulent election theory?

◇ Cho Won-jin: I was the executive secretary of the Public Administration and Security Committee and proposed the Unfair Election Prevention Act. At that time, I didn't agree with the current members of the People's Power. But anyway, 12 people gathered and proposed, but there are suspicions about fraudulent elections. You have to solve the suspicion. Until now, the election watchdog has been calling the election fraud a conspiracy, but the incumbent president has touched the election fraud. It's hard to ask this now. In any case, the NEC, which excluded the NEC, should be excluded because it is the party concerned and investigated by the prosecution. It's the moment I let this go. It amplifies a lot. Because one of the contents of this declaration of martial law was the problem of election fraud. Then, some people just believe what the NEC says and don't think there's any problem. So it is responsible for resolving suspicions. That's how I see it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Didn't the authorities investigate once two years ago?

◇ Cho Won-jin: How can I investigate it if the NEC doesn't open it?

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Do you think it hasn't been properly investigated?

◇ Cho Won-jin: We have to open the NEC's server, but it's very uncomfortable to open almost a part of the server to the NEC. However, when I went to the NIS, there were various problems. So, in that regard, before the problem becomes bigger in the future, the public does not believe the NEC's words through investigations into allegations of fraudulent elections. So it needs to be revealed through investigation. That's how you look at it.

◆ Mr. Youngsoo Kim: The President of Yoon Suk Yeol. When he was arrested on the 15th, he announced his position, and he said that there was a lot of evidence of fraudulent elections. And I said I need to check it out. But the Constitutional Court changed its position a little yesterday.

◇ Cho Won-jin: That's probably President Yoon's confidence in the alleged evidence of fraudulent elections. But looking for evidence is looking for it only when you investigate it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I also said that there is a lot of evidence.

◇ Cho Won-jin: If you look at the contents of the NIS' investigation, it's a part that can be easily entered such as a password, and we vote in common sense because the election paper contains a stiff sheet, but who doesn't fold it? Who just puts it in? It is true that a large number of such papers have been found. If you say it's not, there's nothing to say about it. That's the truth. In that regard, the investigation should be conducted as I said. President Yoon Suk Yeol will also have to investigate the allegations.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: By the way, that ballot means that this sharply opened ballot is also on the part of the NEC. Are you saying that I can put it in like this when I put it in?

◇ Cho Won-jin: I've had a lot of elections when I was there. Most of the election observers were there, but I went to the polling place and folded them all and put them in. I can see everyone putting it in like this, but if there is a lot, there is not one, but a lot. We need to clear up the suspicions about that.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. And. Yesterday, during the constitutional judge's question, acting president Choi Sang-mok said he had been handed over the martial law directive document, and he asked if he had handed it over to acting president Choi Sang-mok. But you said you never handed it over.

◇ Cho Won-jin: That's the position that President Yoon is now in the position that he can't remember the idea in the actual examination of the warrant, but he clearly didn't hand it over yesterday. Then, former Minister Kim Yong-hyun has been adopted as a witness anyway, so he can come out clearly from Minister Kim Yong-hyun's mouth. That's what President Yoon said yesterday. I had to check with Minister Kim Yong-hyun, but I couldn't. Then, if Minister Kim Yong-hyun comes out, doesn't this problem just be solved?

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Former Minister Kim Yong-hyun's position so far has been the same as the decree. I also said that President Yoon Suk Yeol reviewed all of them, but it doesn't mean that he will appear at the Constitutional Court tomorrow. But will he be able to testify properly in front of President Yoon?

◇ Cho Won-jin: Minister Kim Yong-hyun is also a suspect because he asked the National Assembly prosecution to testify separately. In that regard, you will clarify your story. Because I don't know if President Yoon made a unilateral claim or if Minister Kim Yong-hyun said, "Oh, that's what he delivered." Things like that will be revealed over time, and I don't think that President Yoon said something that won't be revealed soon.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: What's in the note about handing over the note is about the budget of the emergency legislative body. Why is this the most controversial?

◇ Cho Won-jin: The question is, were you trying to dissolve the National Assembly and create an expensive legislative body?

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I'm not saying that the function of disabling the National Assembly is unconstitutional.

◇ Cho Won-jin: That's the position of the Constitutional Prosecution. And it's the position of the National Assembly. However, the president was not in that position and just took the form of martial law, but it is difficult to act as a president when it comes to impeachment of people involved in the current Yoon Suk Yeol presidential government, budget, and unilateral legislation. Isn't this what you saw? But it was the Democratic Party that actually dominated the National Assembly. It is also true that the Democratic Party of Korea has unilaterally passed the National Assembly law. In that regard, it is the public opinion that the Democratic Party of Korea has actually gone too far in certain actions. No, the president continued to create legislation that forced him to exercise his veto power, and even the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection was prosecuted for impeachment. This is a huge problem. Why did the auditor become an impeachment motion? I'm not saying I did an investigation. Aren't you saying you did an investigation against the Democratic Party? The people already know all of those parts. Therefore, many people have already become too strong to acquire information rather than in such a situation during the Park Geun Hye presidency before that unilateral. In that sense, one of the advantages of that is that I can't deceive the truth anymore, and the disadvantage is that if I do it wrong, I can go wrong with this logic. But the former comes first. The priority is that you can't deceive the truth. So when it comes to that, I think it's right for broadcasts and various media to say realistic things that fit the facts.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: What do you think the Constitutional Court will conclude about the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol?

◇ Cho Won-jin: That's it. We have to look at the results of the Constitutional Court. I held the position that it should be dismissed, and it was unreasonable to go to martial law as a civil war. And the impeachment bill itself was rejected because it was not a quorum at first. And we did it twice in a row. That's also a problem. When I was in the National Assembly, the same president made impeachment twice in a row, especially now it's a single-trial system. Then, how important is the National Assembly's impeachment decision? It's severe. In this regard, I hope that the outcome of impeachment will be a justifiable impeachment court ruling based on the truth.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, but a lot of people saw the situation live when martial law was declared. The military put it into the National Assembly. According to the decree, there was also a content that prevented the National Assembly from working. If it is dismissed, you said that you look forward to it now, so if it is dismissed, will the people be convinced?

◇ Cho Won-jin: One of the most respected constitutional scholars is Professor Heo Young. Emergency presidential power There is no case in the world that a president is impeached or arrested through the so-called emergency martial law. There's a problem with that. Why isn't it there? It's the president's right.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Is there any unconstitutional element in the process of declaring emergency martial law?

◇ Cho Won-jin: The unconstitutional parts of the matter of the process should be revealed by the Constitutional Court, and there is no precedent for conventionally impeaching or arresting the president with the proposal to declare emergency martial law. We should also think carefully about why such a precedent is set only in Korea. Now, President Yoon Suk Yeol has passed a resolution to lift the emergency martial law and lift the emergency martial law prosecution in the National Assembly two hours after impeachment, and the president received it again in four hours. In that regard, I don't think it's a situation that can lead to civil war as a result.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, thank you. So far, we have been with our Republican Party leader Cho Won-jin. Thank you.