Jung Sye-kyun: "'Jangyuyuseo' Remark Not Meant That Way... There Is a Misunderstanding"

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering the keynote speech at the 'Gwanghwamun Forum' held at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 11th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Jeong Se-gyun, a presidential candidate from the ruling party and former Prime Minister, clarified on the 25th that his controversial remark about ‘Jangyuyuseo’ in relation to the ‘Lee Jun-seok whirlwind’ was “not intended in that way.”

On the afternoon of the same day, Jeong posted on his Facebook, “There was a misunderstanding due to misinterpretation of my remarks. Please read and judge directly with your own eyes,” attaching the full transcript of his broadcast interview.

He emphasized, “It is a significant change that a young candidate is gaining attention as the party leader, and such change is positive,” adding, “My intention was to overcome the lingering ‘Jangyuyuseo’ culture within the party.”

Earlier that morning, in an interview with TBS Radio’s ‘Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory,’ Jeong said, “The People Power Party must be having many concerns,” and added, “Positively, it seems like they are accepting a new generation and embracing change, but managing a presidential election is not that simple.” He continued, “Can it be done without experience? There was a 39-year-old party leader called Milliband in the UK. I recall that party failed to seize power and did not achieve significant results.”

In response, Lee Jun-seok, the People Power Party’s candidate for party leader, posted on Facebook, “This is what I mean by fair competition. ‘Jangyuyuseo’ should be removed from the exam subjects,” and added, “If it is included in the exam subjects, it means excluding the younger generation from the start.”

The remark also sparked controversy within the Democratic Party. Park Yong-jin, a member of the same party, pointed out, “At a time when we should encourage young people’s challenges and fresh winds, using words like ‘Jangyuyuseo’ and ‘experience’ might rather make young people hesitate to take on challenges, which is worrisome.” Kim Nam-guk also criticized, “Our Democratic Party might risk appearing as a ‘kkondae party’ closed off to youth.”

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