Jang Je-won: "Kim Jong-in, MB·Park Apologies?... Imitating Moon Jae-in's Kind Politics"

“Not a Person with Party Legitimacy... A Typical Case of Self-Politics”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 18th, Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, for expressing a public apology regarding the imprisonment of former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, calling it “a typical Kim Jong-in style self-politics” and saying it “is no different from President Moon Jae-in’s sudden apologies.”

On the same day, Jang said on Facebook, “An apology has sincerity only when it comes from the person who should apologize. Using the past as a sacrifice to receive praise for oneself is not right,” adding, “It is merely an imitation of Moon Jae-in’s kind politics.”

He pointed out, “This issue is not something Chairman Kim should intervene in,” and said, “He asks to leave the method and content to himself. Regarding such an important matter, ‘I will handle it myself, so stay quiet?’ It is simply baffling.”

He continued, “Chairman Kim does not have the legitimacy to apologize for our party’s past,” and added, “It is not too late for the party leader, who is directly elected by party members and the public, to gather the party members’ consensus and apologize. It only provides political ammunition for the opposition.”

Jang said, “What we need to focus on now is the proper role of the opposition rather than apologies. The opposition should play the role of a critic and an alternative,” and criticized, “What role is the People Power Party playing as a critic? What resistance is it making against this regime’s tyranny? Besides gathering here and there to issue statements, what else is it doing? It is evaluated as the weakest opposition party in history.”

He sharpened his criticism by asking, “Then, is it properly fulfilling its role as an alternative? What are our alternatives to the housing crisis, skyrocketing real estate prices, and the three economic laws? What is our stance on basic income? We have not presented any alternatives.”

Jang said, “Chairman Kim should not try to overcome his lack of leadership by dividing the party and apologizing for past governments. He should stop the worthless ‘technician politics,’” and added, “While being obsessed with image politics, the support base’s public sentiment is gradually drifting away.”

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