"No Park Ji-sung Without Hiddink," Ha Tae-kyung Rebuts Won Hee-ryong

"After the Launch of the Kim Jong-in Administration, the United Future Party Leads Public Opinion"
Won Hee-ryong Claims in Special Lecture on the 9th, "Conservative Victory Needed, Not External Mercenaries"

Ha Tae-kyung, Member of the Future United Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] When Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong indirectly criticized Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, by comparing him to Coach Hiddink, United Future Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung rebutted, saying, "Park Ji-sung became the best by cooperating with Hiddink."

On the 10th, Ha posted on his Facebook under the title "Without Hiddink, there would be no Park Ji-sung," stating, "Governor Won seems not to know much about soccer," and added, "The success in the 2002 World Cup was possible because the great coach Hiddink was hired and given full authority. Without Coach Hiddink, South Korea's World Cup semifinal appearance or the current player Park Ji-sung would not exist."

He continued, "Although Kim Jong-in's administration has been in place for less than ten days, the topics proposed by the United Future Party, such as basic income discussions and full-day childcare system, are leading public opinion," and explained, "Among the public, expectations are growing that innovation led by Kim Jong-in's administration of the United Future Party might be possible."

He emphasized, "To escape the quagmire of three consecutive defeats, the United Future Party needs a great leader like Coach Hiddink, who achieved the World Cup semifinal miracle."

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on the 9th, Governor Won stated during a special lecture at the 'Korea Future Innovation Forum' held at the National Assembly, "The name of Korean conservatism is our gene that we can never give up," and argued, "Victory by mercenaries is not what we need; victory by ourselves is necessary." He was comparing Chairman Kim to an external mercenary.

He added, "We have suffered four consecutive defeats against opponents whose abilities we cannot acknowledge and have lost our proud tradition of leading change," and pointed out, "We are now in a reality where we must be forced to change by an external coach like Hiddink."

Amid rising discomfort within the United Future Party regarding the 'Kim Jong-in Emergency Committee system,' Chairman Kim appears to continue pushing reforms.

In a statement that day, Chairman Kim said, "Against the Moon Jae-in administration that only regresses to the past, the party's emergency committee will work with party members to make our party a progressive party through creative destruction and bold innovation and move toward the future."

He added, "Currently, due to the COVID-19 situation, the public is very anxious about the future," and "We plan to soon launch an Economic Innovation Committee under the emergency committee."

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