[Interview] Song Young-gil: "Yoon Seok-yeol and Choi Jae-hyung Appointments Had Issues with Blue House's Judgment"

"Yoon Seok-yeol, once sidelined, rapidly promoted... but unsuitable as a presidential candidate"
On corporate and income tax cuts: "Good proposal, needs brainstorming"

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung and Oh Ju-yeon] Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, saying, "(The Blue House's) judgment was problematic." He expressed regret over government insiders turning their backs and emerging as leading opposition presidential candidates, which can also be interpreted as distancing from the Blue House ahead of the presidential election.

In an interview with Asia Economy on the 29th of last month, Song said, "We should look at why such people were approved," adding, "If we criticize, they will say, 'You appointed them, so why criticize?' and if we say, 'We didn't know,' it would be an admission of our incompetence."

He continued, "Rep. Woo Sang-ho, who was the chairman of the personnel hearing committee for former Chairman Choi, said from the beginning that he was utterly incompatible with us and was baffled, wondering 'Why was such a person sent?' They say there was no one else, but there are many regrets."

Regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon, he criticized, "He was promoted rapidly by President Moon Jae-in after being in a minor post," adding, "The president's role is to present a vision for the future, not to vent past grudges. He is not suitable as a presidential candidate."

He also said, "Today (the 29th), I met Lee Jun-seok (People Power Party leader) at the Yeonpyeong Naval Battle memorial ceremony, and he said, 'When the battlefield changes, and the frame shifts to the economy and jobs, the main players change.' That is 100% correct," adding, "As Rep. Hong Joon-pyo said, prosecutors make up only 1% of the entire country. As former Chairman Kim Jong-in said, prosecutors do not directly become presidents, so it is a strange phenomenon that a former special investigation prosecutor is leading in presidential approval ratings." He pointed out that negative evaluations of former Prosecutor General Yoon also come from the People Power Party.

Leader Lee Jun-seok previously said in a media interview last month, "If the current battlefield remains, Yoon will be the frontrunner, but if detailed economic issues become the focus, Yoon lacks expertise and may be flustered. Then others will gain attention."

However, Song said, "He is the person who arrested former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, so if we hated him so much, why would we support him to punish? We need to reflect," adding, "It's like 'chadosarin' (meaning 'killing someone by borrowing a knife'), wishing to hit him, but he must reform himself to soften the public's heart." He explained that the recommendation for lawmakers suspected of real estate speculation to leave the party was in this context.

Regarding the disaster relief fund, which the ruling party and government are negotiating to provide to the bottom 80%, he said, "The most important thing is dual-income couples. They say the target is those with an annual income of 100 million won based on the 80% standard, but if it's an individual income of 100 million won, that's upper class; if it's dual income totaling 100 million won, that's ordinary middle class. We have continuously pointed this out, and the National Assembly will prepare supplementary measures."

Regarding presidential candidate Rep. Park Yong-jin's proposal for simultaneous cuts in income tax and corporate tax, he said, "It's a good proposal," adding, "Since it's for economic revitalization, the presidential election is a brainstorming (free discussion) period." On Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, he said, "Pardon is the Blue House's exclusive authority. Parole is not a special favor; once one-third of the sentence is served, one becomes eligible, and it is a matter for the Minister of Justice to decide."

Song claimed that the 'Nuguna Jip' project (where residents pay only 6-16% of the house price and can live long-term for 10 years before purchasing at the house price), which he is actively promoting, will be the "'killer content' for winning the presidential election."

Regarding real estate issues, he said, "'Nuguna Jip' project will solve everything if successful," adding, "People say, 'Who would do such a project?' but when my friend does it, they criticize it as a special favor. Isn't that contradictory? We are trying to build apartments that truly share housing prices; isn't that a revolution?"

He continued, "It breaks the existing structure that relies on rent and sales profits and aims to create profits through additional services. If house prices fall, you can just live without buying," adding, "My son wants to do it first. Won't it turn things upside down?" He emphasized, "This is why I am confident we can succeed in reestablishing the administration. You only need 6% of the house price; the issue is not about a certain amount of basic income per month."

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