Kim Jong-in Withdraws Recruitment of Professor Lee Kyung-jeon as 'Yeo Yeon Director'... "Decision Made Considering Controversy"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, is attending the Emergency Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly on the 11th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The Future United Party's think tank, Yeouido Institute, has withdrawn its plan to recruit AI expert Professor Lee Kyung-jeon from Kyung Hee University as its head. This came after it was revealed that Professor Lee had defended the controversial remarks about the "Sewol ferry tent" made by Future United Party parliamentary candidate Cha Myung-jin, prompting Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in to hastily cancel the offer.

Chairman Kim told reporters after the Emergency Committee meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 11th, "I thought it was inappropriate to bring someone with controversy to a research institute that supposedly represents the party, so I sent a text message early this morning to notify the withdrawal."

He added, "I did not know much about the person. After some inquiries, I heard he had outstanding abilities, so I met him and made the offer. However, since his past actions were reported in the media, I took that into consideration and made the decision." When asked if the personnel screening was insufficient, he said, "We are not an investigative agency, so there is no way to verify. There was no time for verification either."

Chairman Kim had previously offered Professor Lee the position of head of the party's think tank, Yeouido Institute, aiming to strengthen the policy function of the institute, which had weakened to the point of calls for its abolition.

However, as soon as the appointment rumors surfaced, Professor Lee's past remarks became a subject of public scrutiny. In April, he shared an article on his Facebook page about candidate Cha's derogatory comments on the Sewol ferry incident, stating, "The public, who did not know what was happening inside the Sewol ferry victims' tent, is gradually realizing that Cha Myung-jin did not make offensive remarks," sparking controversy. He further said, "It is infuriating that OOO was done at a place where children who died are being mourned and protested," effectively defending candidate Cha's remarks.

This stance contradicts Chairman Kim's response during the last general election when he was the party's overall election committee chairman. At that time, Kim strongly criticized candidate Cha's remarks and immediately announced plans to expel him. He overturned the party ethics committee's decision to impose a 'resignation recommendation' penalty and ultimately expelled candidate Cha.

Although Chairman Kim took swift action, criticism has emerged within the party. Lawmaker Jang Je-won, who has been targeting Chairman Kim daily, stated on Facebook, "It is incomprehensible that someone with the political sensitivity and sensibility to defend Sewol ferry offensive remarks was considered for recruitment as head of the Yeouido Institute. While the quick cancellation is somewhat fortunate, this is not an issue to be quietly canceled and ended; an official explanation from Chairman Kim should follow."

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