Breaking Silence, Lee Hae-chan Speaks Out: "People Power Campaign Committee Acts Like Kings... A Rabble"

Lee Hae-chan "90 Days Left Until the Presidential Election... Time for Jin-young's People to Step Forward"
"Yoon Seok-yeol Seems Stuck in 1980s Thinking"

Former Leader of the Democratic Party Lee Hae-chan./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan criticized the People Power Party's election committee formation, saying, "These people are not a ragtag group but 'Ohhapjiwang' (a king of a ragtag group)," and added, "Since everyone acts like a king, it’s uncertain whether they will go to the mountains or the sea."

Lee, who is a senior advisor to the Democratic Party, explained in an interview with TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the morning of the 13th that the reason for his recent low profile was, "In parliamentary elections, the party is important because there are many candidates, but in presidential elections, there is only one candidate," and emphasized, "In the presidential election, how the candidate moves and what the candidate says is most important, so focusing on the candidate is very crucial."

He continued, "There were many talks about why the candidate should run alone when he is working hard by himself, so I thought it would be good to step forward and help with what had been done privately," and stressed, "Now that the election is approaching, it is time for the camp members to take the forefront."

When the host asked for his evaluation of the People Power Party’s election committee formation, Lee described it as "not a ragtag group but 'Ohhapjiwang'." He elaborated, "The candidate is unable to take the lead properly, and I saw on television the other day that he did not answer himself but received the microphone from the party leader with his right hand and passed it to the left hand. I think this happens because the candidate lacks confidence."

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 8th, a scene was captured during a meeting with young cultural artists where candidate Yoon handed the microphone to leader Lee Jun-seok, sparking controversy online. It was criticized that Yoon avoided answering the youth’s questions by passing the response to the leader.

On the same day, Lee also gave his assessment of candidate Yoon. He said, "Judging by what he says, it seems he is stuck in 1980s thinking," and pointed out, "He talks about working 120 hours a week and says many people do not comply with the minimum wage. The minimum wage is a mandatory standard. If you have the mindset that it’s okay not to follow it, running the country with such a mindset would be a disaster."

This was a critique of Yoon’s statement in a July interview with a media outlet, where he criticized the 52-hour workweek system by saying, "You should work intensely for 120 hours a week and then be able to rest."

Lee emphasized the difference between candidate Lee and candidate Yoon as "whether they pioneer the future or cling to the past."

Regarding opinions that he should step in as a relief pitcher, he said, "As a senior advisor to the party, rather than taking the forefront, I will advise, point out shortcomings, and provide indirect support. I am not going to lead by stepping forward," hinting at his future activities.

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