Kim Jong-in Directly Criticizes Yoon Seok-yeol: "Camp Filled with 'Jarisajangkun'... Must Think Coldly"

Yoon Seok-yeol "I will form an organization together with the party"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Kim Jong-in, former Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, referred to the associates around Yoon Seok-yeol, the party’s presidential candidate, as "position hunters" and advised, "Isn't it necessary to think about this coldly?"

On the day, Kim appeared in a special dialogue with former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon on Channel A’s YouTube live broadcast of the "Shindonga 90th Anniversary Special Project - Talking about the 20th Presidential Election," where he made these remarks.

Kim said, "Although Candidate Yoon won by a considerable margin in the party’s internal polls, he lost by nearly 11 percentage points in general public opinion polls. Then, I believe he must realize what that means and coldly judge what kind of campaign committee structure should be formed for the upcoming general election."

He added, "If such things are predictable, then that is the next issue to consider, but right now, there is no clear picture, and I have heard nothing related to this from the party or the candidate."

[Photo by Channel A YouTube Channel Capture Screen]

Kim expressed the position that the candidate’s associates need to be organized. He criticized, "When someone is seen as having presidential potential, people flock like mushrooms after rain. I call the people gathering in the camp 'position hunters,' who only come together hoping to gain some benefit if the person becomes president."

He continued, "Only those who think they might gain some benefit if the person becomes president gather. If such people are not properly selected, it will not only cause problems for the candidate’s election but also create many issues even if elected."

He emphasized, "Candidate Yoon must thoroughly recognize what he himself must do. First, how to compose the campaign committee personnel, and next, how to properly present his vision as a presidential candidate. Only then can he absorb the various problems currently arising and face the general election next year."

Regarding reports that he would take the position of overall campaign committee chairman around the 20th, he dismissed them, saying, "I have not yet received any offer to be the overall campaign committee chairman, nor have I heard anything about it from Candidate Yoon."

He argued, "If I were to take the position of overall campaign committee chairman, I should have confidence in taking responsibility for the election and leading it to victory. Then, I must present a vision of what the campaign committee would look like to make a judgment."

When asked, "If the election were held tomorrow," Kim said, "Under the current situation, I think Yoon is much more advantageous."

In response, Candidate Yoon, after visiting the former lawmakers’ group, the Constitutional Assembly, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, told reporters that he would announce a campaign committee structure distinct from the existing camp. He said, "The primary is the primary, and the general election is centered on the party. The primary is conducted within the party where each candidate runs their own campaign, but the general election is an important party matter that the entire party must take charge of. The party will organize and appoint personnel together, and if you compare it to a camp, the primary is a 'People’s Camp,' but this (general election) is the 'Republic of Korea People’s Camp.'"

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