[The Editors' Verdict] How Choi Jae-hyung Differs from Yoon Seok-youl

Park Sang-byeong (Political Commentator)

I hope any misunderstandings or suspicions are cleared up. Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl have never met. Neither has ever been near the other's vicinity. Therefore, the fact that I can comparatively and relatively objectively compare the two may actually be an advantage. In that context, if I were to critique former Prosecutor General Yoon’s recent presidential campaign, it can be summed up as a clear case of ‘lack of preparation.’ Whether this stems from a ‘lack of capability’ or ‘lack of time’ requires further examination, but so far, many things have been difficult to empathize with.

Former Chairman Choi’s entry into the presidential race came later than former Prosecutor General Yoon’s. Therefore, a lack of preparation is natural. However, Choi covered that shortfall by making a sudden entry into the People Power Party. As a result, he received wholehearted welcome from the party leadership and even gained a dramatic effect contrasting with Yoon. Of course, Yoon’s clumsy moves, which lacked empathy, served as a ‘negative example,’ but in any case, Choi completely dispelled concerns about the ‘annoying indecisiveness’ that seemed to make him look around anxiously.

The next presidential election is only about eight months away. If a candidate is still floundering and stumbling around, that is close to ignorance or incompetence. The public will no longer wait for such a leader. That said, it has also become difficult for former Prosecutor General Yoon to enter the People Power Party early, following Choi. That is the nature of ‘politics of timing.’ If one is unprepared from the start, it is better to quit.

Last weekend, former Chairman Choi began his first political activities since joining the People Power Party in Busan. To attend a local event of a party member, Choi visited Haeundae in Busan and was seen picking up trash along a nearby riverside in the rain. There was no ‘overacting’ as if trying to show something, nor was there any seasoned move like giving reporters a heads-up in advance. There was only a modest figure picking up trash wearing a plastic raincoat and his wife standing by his side. This scene reveals a humble humanity with a low profile, without any forced embellishment.

This first political move by former Chairman Choi is strangely comparable to former Prosecutor General Yoon’s. Yoon suddenly visited his alma mater, Seoul National University, met with a professor specializing in nuclear engineering, then made his first political move by visiting Daejeon, where he met nuclear engineering students and criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s ‘nuclear phase-out policy.’ It was a pre-planned, ‘showy’ overaction and a repetition of the old ‘anti-Moon coalition’ repertoire. This excess eventually manifested in Yoon’s ‘carbon-centered’ mask and evolved into a sophistry reminiscent of the Japanese far-right government’s claims about Fukushima nuclear wastewater. This is not just a lack of preparation but can be called a ‘lack of capability.’

The biggest issue dividing former Prosecutor General Yoon and former Chairman Choi may be the ‘morality issue.’ Conservative values shine brighter on the foundation of morality. However, it is still too early to make a judgment here. Although Yoon is being heavily criticized over his in-laws’ corruption issues, the facts need to be observed further. Likewise, it is now time for a proper verification of whether the glowing reputation of former Chairman Choi, which only seems to grow with every dismissal, is genuine. If Yoon falls behind on this front, he will lose momentum. In that case, public interest in Yoon will shift inside the People Power Party, and the presidential race within the party will likely grow larger and more intense. This would not be bad for the People Power Party. The old practice of setting up various ‘tents’ under the pretext of ‘candidate unification’ could end this time. The era of chaos where fish eyes and pearls are mixed (魚目混珠) is becoming increasingly evident. In such times, ‘calmness’ (澹泊) is more required for ‘clarity of purpose’ (明志), making ‘leadership in crisis’ more necessary than ever.

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