Jang Je-won: "Ahn Cheol-soo, a Failed Generation-Change Leader... Political Learning Is Important"

Jang Je-won, Member of the Future United Party
Image source: Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 27th, Jang Je-won, a member of the Future United Party, pointed at Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, saying, "If the most successful generational change leader was former President Kim Young-sam, then the most failed generational change leader would be Leader Ahn Cheol-soo," and criticized it as a "difference in political learning."

On the same day, Jang wrote on his Facebook, "There is an outburst of demands for new leadership, including the theory of generational change and the theory of the 40s generation. However, leaders do not just fall from the sky," he said.

He said, "When former President Kim Young-sam brought up the theory of the 40s generation, he was already a promising senior politician who was elected as a member of the National Assembly in his 20s and served as the floor leader," adding, "That means he was a leader with solid political learning."

He continued, "In the case of Leader Ahn, it seems that he was the protagonist of a successful venture myth outside the political circle who tried to realize the myth once again in politics. It appears insufficient to contain the national expectations with his political imagination and experience," and emphasized, "I am not writing this to disparage Leader Ahn."

Then, Jang argued, "It is evidence that political learning is the most important condition to share dreams with the people, arouse their expectations, and become a national leader," and "Even celebrities become major stars when those who have honed their skills for a long time rise to stardom rather than sudden stars."

He added, "This difficult process of party reconstruction cannot be successfully carried out by nouveau riche politics waiting for a savior to fall from the clouds."

Finally, Jang concluded his writing by saying, "We need to reflect on whether we have been too quick to discard people. We must look long-term and nurture people," and "It is time to create a system and culture that can produce major leaders with solid political power and insight, starting now."

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