Conflicting Reactions to Yoon's Candidacy Declaration... Ruling Party: "Only Curses Stand Out" vs. Opposition: "Excellent Speech"

Lee Jun-seok "Yoon's Speech Aligns with Public Opinion" Praised
Ruling Party Criticizes as "Full of Tricks" and "Lacking Vision"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is answering reporters' questions after finishing his presidential election candidacy press conference at the Maehun Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 29th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The reactions from both ruling and opposition parties sharply diverged following former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's official declaration of his presidential candidacy on the 29th. While the opposition praised Yoon's speech as "excellent," the ruling party harshly criticized it, saying it was "full of curses" and "only provokes public anger."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, evaluated Yoon's speech on Facebook that day, saying, "It was impressive for its direct and specific language, not the ambiguous rhetoric that the younger generation rejects."

He added, "It was an excellent speech that conveyed who he is doing politics for," and "I confirmed that his views are not significantly different from the majority of citizens who desire a change of government."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, also said that day, "It is very desirable for competitive candidates to participate (in the presidential election)," and "It will be a good opportunity to inform the public about how to shape the Republic of Korea through fierce policy and vision competition."

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is answering questions from reporters after declaring his presidential candidacy on the 29th at the Maeheon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the ruling party unleashed sharp criticism, saying there was "no vision" and "only anger toward the government."

Kang Byung-won, Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, what exactly are you going to do?" He pointed out, "The declaration can be summarized in three lines: 'I am Yoon Seok-yeol, the Moon Jae-in administration was wrong, I will talk about alternatives later, but anyway, watch me bring about a change of government.'"

He continued, "It is full of tricks trying to dodge with ambiguous words, and only curses hoping for the current government's failure stand out," adding, "The most noticeable words are dictatorship, deterioration, and despotism, which the People Power Party always shouts. It looks more like a declaration of joining the People Power Party than a presidential candidacy announcement."

Park Joo-min, a lawmaker from the same party, also criticized, saying, "Reporters asked various questions ranging from economic policy to Japan diplomacy and real estate policy, but I don't remember any answers," and "It seemed like he either didn't understand the questions or had no opinions. That's why he gave irrelevant answers and rambled improvisationally."

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon also joined the criticism of Yoon. After attending a book concert by Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon that day, Lee said, "Politics that provoke public anger without alternatives is undesirable," and called it "a declaration without a clear national vision."

Regarding Yoon's criticism of Korea-Japan relations, where he said, "the Moon Jae-in government collapsed after only singing ideologically biased death songs," Lee criticized, "I don't know what kind of thoughts led to such remarks. Moreover, I doubted my ears that such words were spoken at the memorial hall of Yun Bong-gil, a national hero."

Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, who recently declared her presidential candidacy, also raised her voice, saying, "Having served as Prosecutor General under the Moon Jae-in government and then resigning to prepare for the presidential election for political purposes while only criticizing the government is self-denial," calling Yoon's presidential bid a contradictory act.

She added, "Both the Prosecutor General and the Chairperson of the Board of Audit and Inspection are positions that require the highest level of political neutrality as investigative agencies," and argued, "If one claims to be an exception, that is not just an exception but a denial of the Constitution and can be called anti-rule of law."

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