Stand by your man

by Robert Koehler on March 7, 2006

You’d think that women would be calling for the head of former GNP general-secretary Choi Yeon-hee, who was stripped of his party positions after it was learned he groped a female Dong-A Ilbo reporter during a recent drinking party. And indeed, some are. But Choi is apparently blessed with the same kind of thing Ted Kennedy’s got. Women’s groups in Choi’s admittedly conservative Donghae-si (nice town, BTW) continue to back the lawmaker, opposing calls for his resignation from the National Assembly. In a statement, an umbrella of some 15 local women’s groups said they did not believe Choi guilty of sexual harassment, and even if he did grab a handful, he was an upright guy who worked for the underdog and did a good job representing his district. They said he shouldn’t resign against the wishes of the district’s voters.

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

1 baduk March 7, 2006 at 7:54 pm: Choi must go. He is like a gigantic mole on the face of Hannara party. With this stupendous liability, the party may not win the next election.
2 baduk March 7, 2006 at 7:57 pm: The guy cannot control his urges. Attack a female reporter after an official party meeting? What kind of moron is he?

He should’ve been fired yesterday!
3 Mark March 7, 2006 at 8:48 pm: So I suppose they’re ready to donate their eggs to Choi for some stem-cell research?
4 Andy Jackson March 7, 2006 at 9:02 pm: Baduk,
As an elected representative, he can not be fired. He has to resign or face the wrath of the voters in 2007. Luckily for the GNP, the OOP seems to be ready to match them scandal for scandal (Golfgate and all).

BTW, the Mureung Valley is one of the prettiest places in Korea (which is saying a lot if you can get out of the city).
5 kushibo March 7, 2006 at 9:17 pm: And indeed, some are. But Choi is apparently blessed with the same kind of thing Ted Kennedy’s got.

Since Ted Kennedy is accused of negligence in a person’s death, I think a Clinton comparison would be more apt.

Wait, scratch that. Come to think of it, Clinton helped kill his wife’s lover, Vince Foster, and then made it look like a suicide, and had all those people killed in Arkansas, and was a cokehead.
6 sanshinseon March 7, 2006 at 11:42 pm: > BTW, the Mureung Valley is one of > the prettiest places in Korea

It sure is, Andy. It’s in Samcheok City tho, not Donghae. National Highway 42 runs straight to its entrance, all the way from Incheon, and that’s an epic drive… The uber-beautiful & profound Korean movie “Why Bodhidharma Came from the West” was shot in that ‘gyegok’ Valley… It runs up the eastern slopes between Duta-san and Cheong-ok-san, and features Korea’s very best “double waterfall” (fed by 2 different streams from 2 valleys).
However, it’s only a County Park — deserves much better.
7 baduk March 8, 2006 at 1:59 am: Andy, that is true. However, if almost everyone in the party say that he is got to go, he will resign. In Korean society, no lone wolf is allowed to live.

Especially in politics, which is all group psychology in action anyway.

If he does not, the Congress can pass a resolution to dismiss him. I think some congressman is drafting the exact resolution as we speak.
8 shakuhachi March 8, 2006 at 7:46 am: “Come to think of it, Clinton helped kill his wife’s lover, Vince Foster, and then made it look like a suicide, and had all those people killed in Arkansas, and was a cokehead.”

As far as I know, nothing ever came of that investigation.
9 MJ March 8, 2006 at 2:40 pm: I want to thank you for putting that damn Patsy Cline song in my head…^^
10 Robert March 8, 2006 at 3:19 pm: MJ-If it makes you feel better, I’ve had the song stuck in my head since I did the post.
11 jyce March 8, 2006 at 4:24 pm: I thought it was a Tammy Wynette tune.
12 Haisan March 8, 2006 at 5:58 pm: I prefer the Lyle Lovett version.
13 Pyotr March 8, 2006 at 6:42 pm: “Wait, scratch that. Come to think of it, Clinton helped kill his wife’s lover, Vince Foster, and then made it look like a suicide, and had all those people killed in Arkansas, and was a cokehead.”

Someone forgot to take their medication today…

…or did I miss the New World irony here?
14 kushibo March 8, 2006 at 7:26 pm: Someone forgot to take their medication today…
…or did I miss the New World irony here?

These are claims made by some right-wingers about Clinton. I had assumed they were well-known enough that the New World irony would obvious.
15 baduk March 9, 2006 at 2:27 am: The Blues Brothers (Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi) sang the song in the movie.