‘Progressive 180 Seats’ Not Just Arrogance but Reality... Yoo Si-min Says “I Will Stop Political Criticism”

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Democratic Party of Korea and the Together Citizens' Party secured 180 seats in the April 15 general election, achieving a landslide victory. Meanwhile, Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, who was the first to predict this and faced criticism, announced, “I will stop political commentary from now on.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th, after the KBS election broadcast, Chairman Yoo said, “If I hadn’t made the 180-seat remark, the party might have gained even more seats.” He added, “When you talk a lot, you end up saying things you shouldn’t. I learned a lot from this experience.”

He continued, “I thought it was socially meaningful in my own way, so I have been doing it for three years, but I will stop so others can take over. I think I should complete the remaining year and a half as chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and return to my original daily life.”

He added, “Since last year, I have had conflicts with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, so to speak, and experienced many struggles while running the YouTube channel Alileo. It has become too difficult to handle, so I plan to quit.”

Earlier, on the 10th, Chairman Yoo predicted a landslide victory for the Democratic Party on his YouTube broadcast “Alileo,” saying, “It is not impossible for the pan-progressive camp to secure 180 seats including proportional representation seats.” He emphasized, “Except for Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, the Democratic Party will win more seats in most regions. Overall, the election trend is flowing toward a landslide victory for the Democratic Party.”

His remark about the “pan-progressive 180 seats” caused a stir in political circles. Former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn criticized, “What right do they have to talk about 180 seats? How arrogant. This government seems deaf to the anger of the people.”

In response, the Democratic Party showed caution, emphasizing a “humble attitude.” At the time, Lee Nak-yeon, co-chairman of the joint election committee, quickly tried to calm the situation, saying, “Who can claim to know the will of the people and speak so recklessly?”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.