[The Editors' Verdict] The Tragedy and Causes of Yoon Seok-yeol's Hesitant Politics

Park Sang-byeong, Political Commentator

The recent words and actions of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol are disappointing. Not long ago, he appeared on a news program accompanied by political commentator Jang Ye-chan, but when some controversy arose over the message, he immediately dismissed Jang as "just a supporter." Then who was the person bringing along "supporter Jang Ye-chan"? As a leading presidential candidate, this is an inexplicably careless act. After that, Yoon’s spokesperson Lee Dong-hoon resigned on the 20th. This came shortly after controversy erupted over Yoon’s potential entry into the People Power Party, so one can only guess that it was related. The departing spokesperson gave no clear explanation, simply stating he was stepping down for "personal reasons." This is an irresponsible and bitter aftermath. It is hard to understand how he views the public to behave in such a way.

The repeated occurrence of such incidents is largely Yoon’s responsibility. Whether he will run in the next presidential election, whether he will join the People Power Party, and if so, how he will do so?Yoon himself must be clear on these matters first. Only then can his spokesperson or aides provide proper explanations to the media and the public. The next presidential election is less than nine months away, yet we still do not know Yoon well. Leaving aside policies, values, and vision, we only see him hesitating at the political threshold. The occasional news that emerges comes not from him but through hearsay from others. For example, the claim that "my mother-in-law has never caused even a 10-won loss to anyone" came from such sources. So did the statement that "I will run for president wearing the number 2 back number." Even the assertion that he has no intention of forming a third-party or new party was made this way. Although all were mere hearsay, the general perception seemed to lean toward his joining the People Power Party.

However, after Lee Jun-seok was elected as the leader of the People Power Party, Yoon’s stance has changed. He now says he will decide whether to join the party after embarking on a livelihood tour. This, too, is only hearsay from his surroundings. He even added that he would not act rashly regarding the party entry issue. At a time so close to the presidential election, it is truly difficult to understand why political newcomer Yoon considers revealing his presidential roadmap to be rash behavior.

On the 9th, Yoon attended the opening ceremony of the memorial hall for U-dang Lee Hoe-young. Perhaps because the media was informed in advance, Yoon appeared to be the main figure that day. Yet even there, in front of the gathered reporters, he said nothing clear, only increasing disappointment. A few days later, on the 21st anniversary of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, he visited the Kim Dae-jung Library. However, the message he left in the guestbook was shocking. First, he wrote, "President Kim Dae-jung, who opened a new horizon for the Republic of Korea based on informatization and the value of human rights." Opening a horizon?this is neither proper language nor expression. The next phrase was, "I will deeply engrave President Kim Dae-jung’s reflection and teachings." But what does it mean to "engrave reflection"? It should be "insight," not "reflection." If this is the level of prepared expressions, it is beyond embarrassing.

This is not mere nitpicking criticism. These words and actions reveal "the raw self" of Yoon Seok-yeol, so their depth and quality were examined. Yoon’s first political steps, his hesitant "testing the waters," are familiar old habits, but the communication style based on hearsay reflects a fundamental lack of competence, and the inability to speak or write properly indicates a lack of education and common sense. In short, he is unprepared. This will be the cause of tragedy. Where this tragedy will end is even more intriguing.

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