Lee Nakyon Responds to Criticism of Being "Hard to Approach": "No Opportunity in Six Years at the National Assembly"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter: Won Dara] Lee Nakyon, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, who is both a candidate for party leader and a prominent presidential contender, responded to a question about criticism that "people find it hard to get close to you" by saying, "There simply hasn't been an opportunity to get closer."

On the morning of July 30, during an appearance on TBS Radio, Lee was asked, "All the Supreme Council candidates consistently say that you don't let people get close, that you're a perfectionist, that it's hard to approach you, and that you seem intimidating." He replied, "It's been six years since I returned to the National Assembly. So, I probably never had a chance to spend time with them."

He continued, "Most of the Supreme Council candidates are in their second terms, but during the past four years while they were serving as lawmakers, I spent three of those years as Prime Minister, and before that, I was the Governor of Jeollanam-do. So, we were all in different places."

He added, "It's probably due to differences in experience and things like that. There was no opportunity to get closer after the election," emphasizing, "I'm neither perfect nor meticulous; I'm actually a rather unpolished person."

Meanwhile, in the same radio interview the previous day, Supreme Council candidates from the Democratic Party appeared and answered a common question about the strengths and weaknesses of the party leader candidates. Regarding Lee Nakyon's weaknesses, lawmaker Han Byungdo said, "I wish he were a bit more easygoing." Lawmaker Yang Hyangja commented, "He pursues perfection too much. Because of that, many people feel intimidated, and to put it simply, he seems a bit scary." Suwon Mayor Yeom Taeyoung said, "He has the image of the perfect son. I think it would take a lot of effort to get close to him."

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