Song Young-gil: "If staunch Moon Jae-in supporters say they'd rather vote for the opposition than see a certain candidate become president, they can't protect President Moon."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 5th that “Democratic Party hardline supporters must clearly realize that with a complacent mindset of ‘I would rather vote for the opposition party than have a certain candidate become president,’ they cannot protect President Moon Jae-in nor ensure his success.”

At a Kwanhun Club invitation debate held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Song responded to the question, “Is the pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) faction trying to check Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung?” by saying, “Some forces are naturally doing that.”

He emphasized, “There are certainly some extreme supporters who say ‘If a certain person wins, it’s over, so I’d rather vote for the opposition,’ but I think they are a minority. Regardless of who wins, the party leader’s role is to accept the results and unify the team.”

He added, “At the end of President Roh Moo-hyun’s term, candidate Jeong Dong-young was nominated, and some pro-Roh (pro-Roh Moo-hyun) forces created an atmosphere that it was better for Lee Myung-bak to win than Jeong Dong-young. As a result, Lee Myung-bak won by a margin of 5 million votes, and due to thorough prosecutorial retaliation, the tragic situation occurred where President Roh eventually passed away.”

Regarding the question, “Is it possible for a pro-Moon candidate to make a comeback as the Democratic Party candidate?” he said, “All possibilities can be considered,” but added, “However, since it is an internal party election, excluding a specific person is not desirable for party unity.”

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