Jin Joong-kwon to Lee Jun-seok: "He wants to stand at the center with candidates by his side"

On the 20th of last month, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon is giving a special lecture at the inaugural general meeting of the 'Hope 22 Companion Forum' held at a cafe in Daegu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, saying he "wants to be at the center."

On the 5th, Jin appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' and stated, "The candidate should be placed firmly at the center with the leader standing beside them, but Lee's style is to be at the center himself and wants to bring the candidates along," expressing this view.

Regarding the signs of conflict between Lee and presidential candidates such as former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he described it as "unnecessary conflict" and pointed out, "He wants to create the impression that 'I have fully charged everything,' so the candidate camps inevitably feel quite upset."

Jin also gave a negative evaluation of the ongoing verbal dispute between Lee and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, over a merger.

Earlier, Lee asked Ahn a yes-or-no question about the merger, and Ahn responded, "'Yes or no?' is what Japanese war criminals said when surrendering to the British army during World War II." Lee expressed displeasure, saying, "If I am a Japanese war criminal, then is the People Power Party the Japanese army?"

Jin explained this by saying, "It’s Lee’s wordplay, his characteristic battle tactic," and added, "Ahn’s remark means 'The way the People Power Party is treating us (the People’s Party) now is like a victorious general forcing the defeated to surrender unconditionally.'"

He continued, "The current approval rating of the People’s Party is still about 7%. They are by no means a party to be ignored," and added, "Their thinking is, 'Although we cannot win on our own, we have the power to bring you down.' I think they will try to secure a larger share in the final negotiations based on this."

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