Honam Leader Jang Sung-min Announces Presidential Bid: "I Will Not Avoid the Path of History"

"All Citizens Must Make the Decision to Join the Big Tent of the Anti-Moon Front to Save the Country"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Jang Sung-min, former Chief of the Blue House National Situation Room under the Kim Dae-jung administration and Chairman of the World and Northeast Asia Peace Forum, announced his intention to participate in the opposition big tent and run as a presidential candidate for regime change.

On the 21st, Chairman Jang stated on social media (SNS), "Now June demands from us once again a new determination, sacrifice, and resolution for a greater future of our homeland. If that path is the path of history and progress, no citizen should avoid it," adding, "I will do the same."

He said, "Today’s Republic of Korea exists on the pillars of freedom and democracy, which were protected at the cost of blood and lives," and pointed out, "Our politics have lost direction. The values of freedom and democracy are being lost. The compass and antenna that should point the country’s direction are missing."

He lamented, "It is a world turned upside down where politics does not worry about the country and its people, but the people worry about politics and the country," adding, "Internationally, national credit is falling; domestically, public trust is collapsing; and distrust and conflict among citizens are intensifying, placing the national community on the brink of division."

Chairman Jang lamented, "The past four years under the Moon administration were a time of national bankruptcy and historical regression," stating, "In short, it was a period in which the three pillars of Korea?political democracy, economic free market, and military security alliance with the United States?collapsed." He further stated, "Especially during the four years of the Moon administration, the worst time was the annihilation of parliamentary democracy, which no previous dictatorship had ever committed," and defined, "All actions taken by the ruling forces of the Moon administration over the past four years were acts of violence against the nation and its people."

Chairman Jang said, "Now is the time for all citizens to make a decision to participate in the anti-Moon front’s big tent and save the country in crisis," appealing, "Let us listen to the voices of the people concerned about the country’s future and tighten our shoelaces again to save the nation in crisis."

Voices calling for the recruitment of Chairman Jang have been raised within the opposition. Seong Il-jong, a member of the People Power Party, said in media interviews, "In the case of former lawmaker Jang, he is a legitimate successor of DJ (Kim Dae-jung)," adding, "He started as a secretary at age 22, is well-trained politically, has experience, insight, and political sense as a frontline figure in regime change. He also has expertise in the Korean Peninsula issues, diplomacy, security, and unification. Therefore, such a person should be brought into our ring."

Meanwhile, Chairman Jang has continued to criticize constitutional revision proposals while emphasizing visions for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the importance of the Korea-US alliance.

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