Lee Kwang-jae "Knew Yoon Seok-yeol's Candidacy Long Ago... Jo Guk Investigation Is Rival Elimination"

Lee Kwang-jae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Lee Kwang-jae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said about former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, "I felt a long time ago that 'he would run for president,'" and described the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk as "a rival elimination."

On the 29th, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "A long time ago, watching Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol answer in the National Assembly, I thought, 'He will run for president,' 'He wouldn't act like that if he wasn't running for president.'" He criticized, "There is a certain boundary. At least for figures appointed by this government, after the administration ends, they usually move to another party or do something like that."

He continued, "Watching the investigation of Professor Cho Kuk (former Minister of Justice), that was a rival elimination for the presidential candidate. I thought it was too harsh," adding, "At that time, Professor Cho had aspects that did not meet the public's expectations. However, I often wondered if it was really necessary to investigate to that extent."

This pointed out that former Minister Cho was a potential presidential candidate. Lee said, "If former Minister Cho Kuk had not been involved in such incidents, it would have been something worth considering."

He also said that the so-called 'X-file' is less important than the 'State Affairs File.' Lee stated, "There is a lot of talk about the X-file, but I am not very interested; the State Affairs File is more important," and added, "What kind of dreams and visions one has is important." He continued, "The economy and diplomacy make up 70 to 80 percent of the country."

Having announced the push for candidate unification with former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun the day before, he said, "An anti-Lee Jae-myung coalition is impossible," and mentioned, "It is important to cooperate based on policies and create joint pledges rather than engage in excessive fights."

Regarding the possibility of an alliance with former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, he said, "We need to watch a little more. We need to see how things will unfold. The primary process is very dynamic."

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