Yang Jeong-cheol: "Lee Jae-myung's Campaign Committee Only Has the Candidate Working Hard, No Sense of Urgency" (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Yang Jeong-cheol, former head of the Democratic Research Institute known as President Moon Jae-in’s ‘right-hand man,’ assessed the current situation of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate’s campaign headquarters, saying, “Only the candidate is running desperately, but there is no sense of urgency,” and added, “A clear control tower must be established quickly, and the ambiguous responsibilities, authority, and inefficient system need to be improved.” Currently, voices from both inside and outside the party, including first-term ruling party lawmakers, are pointing out the rigid problems of the campaign headquarters and demanding the recruitment of external personnel.

On the afternoon of the same day, Yang attended a meeting of the ‘Democratic Party Recruitment Talent and Proportional Representatives’ held at the National Assembly, where he identified the current problems of the Democratic Party by quoting a poem by Lee Seong-bok, “Everyone was sick, but no one was in pain.” He said, “There is no sense of urgency. It contrasts sharply with the other side (People Power Party). With the presidential election just around the corner, there is no feeling of crisis or desperate desire to win,” and pointed out, “There are many leisurely drinking gatherings among lawmakers, and there are still more people who are not running around their constituencies with life-or-death determination.”

He continued, “With less than four months left until the presidential election, this leisurely and relaxed atmosphere is something I first saw during the 2007 presidential election when we suffered a crushing defeat. Only the candidate is running desperately,” and criticized, “Those in responsible positions are already working with calculations for the next presidential election and the next positions. It is disheartening.”

Regarding the composition of the campaign headquarters, he said, “It’s a strange structure I’ve never seen before,” and added, “It is very worrisome. The authority and responsibility are all ambiguous. It is a very inefficient system that lacks a clear decision-making structure.” Yang emphasized, “It is not a forward deployment based on expertise but a thorough player (選數)-centered, patchwork arrangement within the camp,” and raised his voice, “Relying solely on the candidate’s personal skills has its limits. Unless the core members voluntarily take on the role of villains, prepare to quit politics, and stabilize the center to act as a control tower, victory will be difficult.”

After the meeting, he told reporters, “There is enough time ahead, so it is worth trying. However, it must start with a very serious sense of crisis.”

Regarding the speculation about former leader Lee Hae-chan’s possible involvement as a control tower, he expressed a negative view, saying, “I am talking about establishing a clear system within candidate Lee and those leading the campaign headquarters, not necessarily thinking that a new or different approach is the best way.”

About the rumors of ‘Yang Jeong-cheol joining the campaign headquarters’ raised inside and outside the ruling party, he drew a line, saying, “I wonder if I really need to participate,” and added, “It is more appropriate for me to provide advice or consultation to candidate Lee Jae-myung from outside rather than participating in the campaign headquarters.”

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