Lee Jun-seok "Public Office Candidate Qualification Test? If Local Councilors Are Less Qualified Than Grade 9 Civil Servants, It's Wrong"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is delivering a welcoming speech at the business agreement ceremony for discovering and nurturing young talents in their 20s and 30s, held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, expressed his determination to push forward with the introduction of the 'Basic Qualification Test for Public Office Candidates' despite internal opposition within the party.

On the 20th, Lee posted on his Facebook, stating, "If the capabilities of local councilors auditing local governments in the Republic of Korea are lacking compared to the efforts and passion of the younger generation fiercely preparing for the Grade 9 civil service exam, then we are thinking about something incorrectly," emphasizing the necessity of introducing the Basic Qualification Test for Public Office Candidates.

A post by Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, on his Facebook on the 20th. Photo by Lee, leader's Facebook capture.

Lee rebutted opinions opposing the introduction of the Basic Qualification Test for Public Office Candidates. He pointed out, "Those who emphasized in the spokesperson debate battle that 'it is unfair for someone who only speaks well to become a spokesperson' could not say that 'it is unfair for someone who cannot even speak to become a spokesperson' under the old system."

He continued, "I hope people stop citing the marginal example of 'someone who can perform legislative activities well but cannot pass a basic qualification test.' It sounds similar to 'someone who cannot pass the driver's license test but can drive well,'" he criticized.

Lee also stressed that the best presidential election strategy is reform. He said, "In a situation where we must compete for presidential victory with a bone-cutting reform plan, there should be no one who tries to end it with minor adjustments just because the situation has slightly improved," adding, "Leading the issue in this reform competition and showing a speed that the Democratic Party cannot follow is the best presidential election strategy."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party leadership approved the launch of the 'Task Force for Strengthening the Competence of Public Office Candidates' at the Supreme Council meeting on the 19th. Regarding this, Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won expressed opposition, saying, "Most of our Supreme Council members opposed it, arguing that it is not appropriate to select public office candidates as if taking a driver's license test or a college entrance exam like the CSAT or nationwide tests."

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