Lee Jae-oh "Kim Jong-in's Sole Leadership as Emergency Committee Chairman... Not Good in the Long Run"

"Jeon Gwang-hoon: There Are Issues with Quarantine Measures, but Political Claims Should Not Be Suppressed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former lawmaker Lee Jae-oh (Standing Representative of the National Struggle Headquarters Against the Capital Relocation) warned against the unilateral actions within the party by Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party. Regarding Kim’s criticism of former President Park Geun-hye in Daegu, Lee analyzed it as "an indirect criticism of Daegu's blind support." About Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, who led the Liberation Day rally, he said, "Political claims should not be suppressed under the pretext of quarantine issues."

On the 19th, Lee appeared on KBS Radio’s 'Kim Kyung-rae’s Strongest Current Affairs' and said, "The emergency committee was formed, but the chairman is almost acting unilaterally."

Lee stated, "Basic income and economic democratization are Chairman Kim’s original beliefs, so such policies will not cause conservatives to turn their backs," but added, "If he pushes his personal opinions without discussion or consultation with the party, that could be problematic."

He pointed out, "Although the emergency committee was formed, the voices of the committee members or any joint creations or achievements are hardly seen; only the chairman’s voice occasionally appears. Right now, since the Democratic Party is in such disarray and the country is in chaos, it works, but in the long run or from the party’s perspective, it is undesirable because it omits party democracy."

Regarding Pastor Jeon, he said, "There are regulations and principles from the quarantine authorities, and if there are violations, they should be dealt with accordingly," but added, "It should not give the impression that political claims are being suppressed under the pretext of quarantine."

On the organized refusal of testing centered around the members of Sarang Jeil Church, he said, "That is not true," and explained, "Looking at the text messages sent by the church, they continuously sent messages telling members not to attend the August 15 rally, to strictly follow quarantine rules, and to comply with instructions if contacted by the health center or Seongbuk District Office."

He explained that Kim’s recent visit to Daegu and criticism of former President Park was due more to personal feelings than political intentions. Lee said, "Since Chairman Kim had a falling out with former President Park, it was a venting of personal feelings, grievances, and betrayal," and added, "Also, Daegu openly supports former President Park, so this was probably an indirect expression of dissatisfaction with that point."

Regarding Kim’s efforts in Honam, he said, "Can an opposition party dreaming of ruling exclude a specific region or govern without holding any seats there? Regardless of the results, it is commendable that the opposition United Future Party is putting more effort into Honam."

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