Rep. Kang creates controversy over revealing of Moon-Trump phone conversation

Disclosing telephone conversations between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump, Rep. Kang Hyo-sang of the Liberty Korea Party has been criticized even by conservatives. Externally emphasizing the significance for the public right to be informed, the main opposition party argues that President Moon’s telephone conversations only show his presidential office Cheong Wa Dae’s embarrassing diplomatic practice and its lame excuse. However, even conservative politicians within and outside the party criticize the lawmaker’s disclosure.

Korean Peninsula Future Forum President Cheon Young-woo, who served senior secretary to former President Lee Myung-bak for Foreign Affairs and National Security, posted a critical comment on Friday that a country failing at keeping diplomatic intelligence confidential cannot develop into a civilized nation, arguing that a responsible political party should decide to discharge Kang. Cheon added that such a recent disclosure has only lowered Korea’s global standing to a level that other nations may shun their relationship with it and it will never be justified for the sake of the public right to be informed and public interests.

On the previous day, fellow LKP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, who heads of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, pointed a critical finger at Kang, saying that partisan interests are not supposed to come before national interests.

In the meanwhile, the LKP leadership has been protecting Kang. Following the party’s executive committee meeting, LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won told reporters that the party does not consider such content confidential intelligence, calling on Cheong Wa Dae to clarify its explanation that the telephone conversations are groundless.


Go-Ya Choi best@donga.com