"Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung Primary Possibility" Yoo Si-min's Evaluation of Next Presidential Candidates

"Lee Nak-yeon, a clear presidential contender with stable approval ratings"
"Lee Jae-myung, attractive for lightning-fast decision-making and decisiveness"

Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation. Photo by YouTube channel 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo' screenshot

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, evaluated the actions of Lee Nak-yeon, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Jongno, Seoul), and Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, who are mentioned as potential candidates for the next presidential election.

On the 17th, in the final broadcast of his YouTube channel 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo,' Chairman Yoo said, "Among those mentioned as the next presidential candidates, the top two are Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jae-myung," adding, "There is a clear first and second place. If things continue like this, the primary race could take this shape."

He praised Lee Nak-yeon, saying, "On the ruling party side, Lee Nak-yeon is a very clear (presidential) candidate at this point because he has stable support nationwide," and "While serving as Prime Minister, he supported President Moon Jae-in well and has always spoken and acted with dignity that gives a sense of trust and stability."

He continued, "Some say Lee Nak-yeon is at a disadvantage because he lacks a core support base, but in my view, that's nonsense," and "Since he was Prime Minister, his approval rating initially rose influenced by President Moon Jae-in's popularity. However, through this general election, it became clear that Lee Nak-yeon has been steadily making the support his own."

He then speculated, "Lee Nak-yeon will not run for party leader." Chairman Yoo explained, "A presidential candidate must resign from party positions one year before the election, so even if he became party leader in August, it would only last until March next year. There's no way he would take the party leader position now."

Lee Nak-yeon, Standing Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a greeting at the joint closing ceremony of the election committee with the Civic Party held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 17th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Yoo also evaluated Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province. He said, "During the COVID-19 process, Lee showed quick and lightning-fast handling and decisiveness, which attracted charm," adding, "He will build a considerable support base going forward."

He praised, "Lee's charm lies in creating illegal structure and illegal industrial waste tracking teams in Gyeonggi Province to uncover and report them," and "In the case of Baedal Minjok, when Gyeonggi Province said it would create an app, they immediately knelt down. It shows what kind of authority national affairs should have."

He added, "No one talks about Lee Jae-myung's personality being excellent or about his virtue or dignity. Even his supporters say, 'Lee Jae-myung works well,' and 'If you want to change something, you have to do it like him.'"

He also said, "'Should the state intervene?' or 'Leave it to the market' arguments don't work on him. He judges legal authority and pushes forward if he thinks it's worth contesting even if someone files an administrative lawsuit. This is a very necessary quality and trait for someone running the government."

On the morning of the 8th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, held a press conference in the briefing room of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government regarding the simultaneous payment of disaster basic income by Gyeonggi Province and 18 cities and counties.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding opposition presidential candidates, he said, "There is no prominent conservative figure," but added, "Hong Joon-pyo, an independent elected member (Daegu Suseong), and Kim Jong-in, former general election committee chairman of the United Future Party, might compete in the presidential race. Whoever becomes the candidate will treat us well."

Regarding Kim Boo-kyum, a Democratic Party member mentioned as a next presidential candidate, he said, "Kim is a really good and charming person in terms of personality," but added, "If you get to know him, he is charming, but that is not well known, so people don't recognize it."

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