Kim Kyung-soo Guilty Verdict... Song Young-gil "Mixed Feelings" vs Lee Jun-seok "Cheong Should Express Regret"

Song Young-gil "Doing our best to minimize Gyeongnam provincial government vacancy"
Lee Jun-seok "Cheongwadae must take a humble stance to avoid being called hypocritical"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, expressed conflicting views on June 21 regarding Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, who was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court for conspiracy in the 'Druking comment manipulation' case. Lee evaluated the matter as one requiring an apology from the Blue House or President Moon Jae-in, while Song countered that it was not something warranting such a response.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On that day, the two party leaders appeared on SBS's 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing' and held their first TV debate. The first topic was an evaluation of Governor Kim Kyung-soo's Supreme Court guilty verdict that day.

Song said, "As the leader of the ruling party, I cannot but respect the Supreme Court's ruling," but added, "It is painful and a complicated feeling in many ways." He continued, "I apologize to the residents of Gyeongnam," and emphasized, "I will strive to support without disruption various projects that Governor Kim has been promoting, such as the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Megacity and the new airport on Gadeokdo Island."

When asked whether it was a matter for the Blue House or President Moon to issue a statement, he drew a line, saying, "I don't think it is something they should directly address."

However, Lee directly contradicted this.

Lee said, "During the Park Geun-hye administration, there were acts carried out by the National Intelligence Service under the Lee Myung-bak government, and at that time, President Moon Jae-in made remarks," adding, "(At that time) he stated that 'This is a matter for which the Blue House should apologize.' To avoid accusations of double standards, I believe it is best to take a humble stance on this matter."

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is attending the senior members' joint meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering a speech. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Lee pointed out, "Currently, administrative gaps have been caused in three local governments, and this needs to be reconsidered." He said, "In Ulsan, investigations and trials are proceeding more slowly compared to others, so in total, four places are experiencing administrative paralysis," and added, "This is a situation where the leadership responsible for candidate nominations must be severely reprimanded, and the party should issue an official stance on this."

He also emphasized, "If President Moon maintains the same position he held as party leader regarding these issues, then naturally the Blue House should apologize."

He continued, "At that time, it was not something that happened in former President Park's election camp, but rather a misjudgment by public officials under the Lee Myung-bak government, yet the legitimacy of that administration was attacked," and added, "By the same logic, attacks could be made on the legitimacy of the Moon Jae-in government. However, I think it would be good if the President had expressed regret, at least by applying the remarks he made when he was party leader."

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