'Respecting Party Members' Opinions' Step Back by Lee Nak-yeon... Jang Je-won Says "Embarrassed by Feather-Light Actions"

On the 15th, at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit, Jang Je-won (52), a member of the Liberty Korea Party, is questioning. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who stepped back by saying "I will respect the will of party members" regarding the pardon proposal for two former presidents, calling it "embarrassing due to words and actions as light as a feather."

On the 3rd, Jang said on his Facebook, "It has not even been 48 hours since the pardon proposal for former presidents was brought up, and now the words are being taken back, so I cannot shake off the feeling of being mocked," adding, "If Leader Lee Nak-yeon did not mock the former presidents, he must take responsibility for his words."

He continued, "If the ruling party leader raised the issue of pardoning former presidents without consultation with the Blue House, then he is unqualified as the ruling party leader," and pointed out, "If, on the other hand, he raised it after consultation with the Blue House but still failed to coordinate differences within the party, it shows that not only Leader Lee but also President Moon Jae-in have fallen into a lame-duck period."

He added, "I hope Leader Lee will behave appropriately as the ruling party leader. There is a saying that 'without faith, nothing stands.' The words of someone who aims to lead not only the ruling party but also the country must be as precious and heavy as gold, and once spoken, they must be taken responsibility for and acted upon to build trust," and warned, "From now on, Leader Lee should know that people will not believe his words even if he says he can turn beans into tofu."

Earlier, on the same day, Leader Lee convened a meeting with the Supreme Council members at the National Assembly Members' Office Building and summarized, "The pardon issue for the two former presidents, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, should be based on the repentance of the parties involved and the national consensus."

He also stated, "I will respect the will of the people and party members going forward."

This appears to be a statement considering that the 'pardon proposal for the two former presidents' raised in a New Year's interview with a media outlet on the 1st did not receive a favorable response not only within the Democratic Party but also among opposition figures.

After facing strong backlash within the Democratic Party, Leader Lee told reporters after a closed Supreme Council meeting on the 3rd, "I will wait for the Supreme Court's ruling first," and explained, "I was expressing my long-standing sincerity that national unity must be achieved."

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