Lee Jun-seok "Breakdown of the original composition, would the stronger side be wrong rather than the weaker side"

Lee Jun-seok, Supreme Council Member of the United Future Party. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] As the Democratic Party of Korea pointed to Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, as the cause of the final breakdown in the first half of the National Assembly's organization negotiations, former top member of the United Future Party Lee Jun-seok said, "In common sense, the stronger party is right, not the weaker one."

In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 30th, former top member Lee said, "From the opposition party's perspective, the reason why Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, conducted such rigid negotiations this time was because of the strong stance of the Blue House behind it."

He explained, "Looking back to 2015, during Yoo Seung-min's term as floor leader, when various negotiations with the opposition were held, the Blue House did not give space at that time. Then, they encouraged, saying 'Pass this as originally planned,' 'Why do you do this when you have more than 150 seats?' This led to a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties. Yoo Seung-min tried to take a softer approach, but there was a case where he ended up clashing with the administration."

He added, "In the latter half of a term, the administration tends to maintain a strong grip on the party, which is a common political practice. I expected the Blue House to play a political role by giving more room than Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader, but that did not happen."

He continued, "Yesterday, Representative Lee Hae-chan said during Kim Tae-nyeon's negotiation process that 'a sarira might emerge.' To use the metaphor properly, 'sarira' is something that monks obtain through a lifelong practice of sacrificing eating and playing more than others, gaining enlightenment. How can the Democratic Party, which has eaten everything, claim that sarira will emerge?" he criticized.

When asked if Kim Jong-in's emergency committee has reformed the United Future Party, he said, "It is still only the first month, so it is difficult to discuss the results."

He added, "As of yesterday, with the expiration of the Yeouido Research Institute director and the head of the publicity headquarters, the personnel lineup is practically being formed. This means that Kim Jong-in's emergency committee is taking a long tempo. Usually, if an emergency committee is a 3-4 month management type, they finish personnel appointments quickly and get to work, but since they seem to be planning to cultivate for about a year, it looks like they are starting from rice planting."

Regarding the 'Kim Jong-in great expectation theory,' he said, "One image that comes to mind when thinking of Kim Jong-in is 'he never touches what doesn't work.' If something doesn't work, he doesn't cling to it for long. Even during his time as an emergency committee chairman of the Saenuri Party, when he clashed with President Park Geun-hye, he left without regret. After being asked by President Moon Jae-in to lead the emergency committee, he left after giving up his proportional representation seat, saying he had no role to play in the party."

He continued, "Honestly, politicians should always aim for higher places. The moment they start thinking otherwise without aiming for the highest place, they fall. So that itself is not a sign to criticize. The worst thing is when people cling to what doesn't work and try to exert their own labor, but as long as that doesn't happen, it's fine."

Finally, he said, "What Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman, wants to do most is to remove the 'saltiness' of the party, which has become so salty that the general public cannot drink it."

He explained, "Even the current moderate message would be quite effective. Since Kim Jong-in's emergency committee took office, there have been almost no ideological attacks on the opposing side. Even if these things seem insignificant, they influence the moderate voters. When people frame and slander the opposing side, they may initially agree, but if the same song is played repeatedly, they feel fatigue."

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