Joo Ho-young: "Lee Jun-seok and Kim Woong Attack Thinking I Am Ahead"

'Reiteration of the "Yeongnamdang Controversy"... Need for Both Experience and Freshness'

Former People Power Party Floor Leader Joo Ho-young [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Joo Ho-young, former floor leader of the People Power Party and a candidate in the party leadership race, dismissed the concentrated attacks from younger candidates as attempts to check him because he is considered a frontrunner.

In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 17th, Joo responded to questions about the attacks from younger candidates such as former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok and lawmaker Kim Woong by saying, "Perhaps because they think I am ahead, there is a tendency to focus on me."

On the 11th, former Supreme Council member Lee criticized Joo on Facebook, saying, "You climbed Palgongsan Mountain five times, but why couldn't you aim for tougher and more difficult places?"

Regarding such remarks, Joo said, "I don't even want to argue," adding, "They keep belittling places like Daegu·Gyeongbuk that have supported us." He continued, "Daegu and Gyeongbuk have played a role in maintaining the country's balance during major elections nationwide," and said, "Arguing about which mountain is which is not appropriate."

He also addressed comments made by first-term lawmaker Kim Eun-hye on Facebook on the 16th, who said, "Just as Youn Yuh-jung did not receive an Oscar because of her age, the core is capability and vision." Joo explained, "(The Oscar) was awarded because of accumulated experience, not overnight," and clarified, "It does not mean that one should step down simply because they have more experience or have been around longer."

Regarding the perception of this party convention as a contest between 'experience' and 'freshness' alongside the strong performance of younger candidates, he said, "Every organization needs both experience and freshness," and added, "It is desirable and should be encouraged for younger juniors to set big goals and take on challenges, both for our party and for themselves."

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