Jin Joong-kwon criticizes Lee Jun-seok, who opposes quota system, saying "Lack of study leads to shallow perception"

Former Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok, is declaring his candidacy for party leader on the afternoon of the 20th at the People Power Party Central Office in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon harshly criticized former People Power Party Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok, who declared his candidacy for party leader and opposed the 'nomination quota system,' saying, "Because he doesn't study, his level of awareness can only be vulgar."

On the 20th, Jin posted on his Facebook, "The quota system itself was created from the perception that the game rules claiming to be fair are actually unfair, but Lee Jun-seok has no awareness of this part," he said.

He pointed out, "Is there currently an official system in South Korea that discriminates against women?" and added, "Whether in the private or public sector, such a system does not exist. Rather, men are complaining about being discriminated against. Lee Jun-seok's pledge has already been realized."

He continued, "The problem lies in the fact that the results of this supposedly fair competition strangely always come out unequally," explaining, "That is why all OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries implement gender quotas."

Jin criticized, "Because there is no awareness of socially structured discrimination, he foolishly claims that abolishing the quota system would give women more opportunities," and added, "Although he glossed over it with flowery words, he is ultimately saying that quotas for women, regions, and youth should be abolished for fair competition."

He further said, "If there are men who are enthusiastic, there are women who veto. I heard that the male-to-female ratio in their 20s and 30s is mistakenly believed to be 1.5:1; is that why?" and criticized, "Enthusiasm fades quickly, but veto emotions last a lifetime. How can you bring that as a pledge in the party leader election?"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, former Supreme Council member Lee officially declared his candidacy for party leader at a press conference held at the People Power Party headquarters that day. He opposed the mandatory nomination allocation for youth, women, and Honam, saying, "What we must promise the younger generation is openness and competition."

Lee said, "Whose heart among ordinary youth, ordinary women, or ordinary Honam-origin individuals unfamiliar with Yeouido would beat at the pledge to implement youth, women, and Honam quotas?" and added, "Rather, let's declare the principle of widely selecting talents through competition regardless of gender or age, and make everyone's hearts beat with fairness that ensures no discrimination exists if one has ability."

Meanwhile, Lee ranked first with 20.4% in the 'Suitability for Party Leader' survey conducted by PNR, commissioned by Money Today The300 and the Future Korea Research Institute, announced on the 16th.

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