Kim Jong-in: "Lee Jun-seok, No Support for 1st Place Yoon Seok-yeol, Only Unfounded Attacks"

"The Leader of the First Opposition Party Quarrels Over a Minor Issue"
"Failure to Win the Presidential Election Could Negatively Impact His Career"

Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is having a lunch meeting with Kim Jong-in, former Emergency Committee Chairman, at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 17th. This meeting was arranged by Jeong Gap-yoon, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Photo by Jeong Gap-yoon's office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in stated on the 17th regarding the conflict between former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Party Leader Lee Jun-seok, "I told former Prosecutor General Yoon not to respond but to endure when we met." It is known that former Prosecutor General Yoon visited Kim's office that day and talked for about an hour about the party situation.

Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'One Match' that day and said, "The reason I initially advised that it would be wise for candidate Yoon Seok-yeol to stay outside the party as much as possible was because of situations like this."

Kim said, "(Former Prosecutor General Yoon) has entered the party anyway, so he inevitably has to be bound by it, and such things are just beginning now," adding, "But the party should have something to offer the candidate who is leading the race. Without that, the newcomer ends up facing unreasonable disputes, naturally leading to emotional confrontations."

Regarding Lee, who is in conflict with each candidate's camp, Kim said, "As the leader of the main opposition party, his most important duty is to devise a strategy to lead next year's presidential election to victory," but criticized, "There is no big picture visible, and trivial issues are being discussed. This is unfavorable both for himself and the party."

He continued, "I advised (Lee) that if he fails to lead the victory in next year's presidential election, it would be a difficult situation for his political career, but he is not the type to listen obediently," adding, "He shows a tendency to pay great attention to trivial matters and react immediately to a single word. When things that should pass by do not, problems arise."

Kim also criticized Lee's remark on the 8th in Andong that "If things remain as they are, the People Power Party will lose by more than 5% unless former President Park Geun-hye runs again," saying, "Can someone who already has a defeatist mindset prepare for the presidential election? It was a big mistake as the opposition party leader."

Kim also addressed criticisms that former Prosecutor General Yoon and former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung are unprepared candidates, saying, "Neither of them declared they wanted to be president; the situation made it so," adding, "They are unfamiliar with political language and often make mistakes, so they appear unprepared. It would have been better if the two competed outside, attracted attention, and then joined the party."

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