Targeting 'Yunhaekgwan', Kim Jong-in says, "The campaign committee should be careful to prevent Yoon's verbal slip-ups from recurring"

"Election Committee's General Situation Room Must Take the Lead"
Regarding Yoon's Verbal Misstep Controversy, Warning on Election Committee's Inadequate Response

Kim Jong-in, the General Election Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is seen closing his eyes and deep in thought at the 5th meeting of the People Power Party Central Election Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Kim Jong-in, the overall election campaign committee chairman of the People Power Party, recently urged the central election committee to exercise special caution to prevent repeated verbal slips by candidate Yoon Seok-yeol. In particular, he strongly warned the so-called 'Yoon Core Group (Yoon Seok-yeol’s key associates)' regarding conflicts within the campaign committee revealed by Lee Jun-seok’s resignation.

At the election committee meeting held on the 23rd, Chairman Kim stated, "I hear very serious concerns from both inside and outside the party about the campaign committee. There is a worry that internal discord is preventing the committee from functioning properly," adding, "I have also received countless worrying text messages from the public."

Chairman Kim continued, "Under the goal of electing the president, everyone should move forward with one voice, but that is not happening. Some people, being close to the candidate, think they need to perform their own functions," and said, "It is good to demonstrate one’s abilities, but if there is no cooperation, discord is exposed and the public becomes anxious. Everyone should faithfully carry out their own duties and not entertain other thoughts about areas they are not responsible for."

Some interpret this as a warning message directed at the 'Yoon Core Group,' which was the direct cause of Lee’s resignation.

Chairman Kim also pointed out the limitations of the 'mammoth-sized campaign committee.' He said, "Because so many capable people participate, discord arises in the process of trying to assert their functions," adding, "Even if the candidate wins the presidency, there are concerns about whether the party can properly perform its functions."

Regarding the verbal slip controversies surrounding candidate Yoon, he criticized, "I have repeatedly said that if the candidate or the campaign committee makes mistakes, the election cannot be won. Those assisting the candidate need to be meticulous in ensuring the candidate does not make mistakes," and pointed out, "So far, the candidate’s schedule and messages have failed to resonate with the public at all."

Chairman Kim also strongly urged, "Once again, I ask that the comprehensive situation room take the lead in properly gathering all opinions and directly consulting with the candidate so that all decisions can be made accordingly."

Meanwhile, the day before, candidate Yoon visited Jeonju, Jeonbuk, and said, "People living in extreme poverty and those who have not been educated do not know what freedom is, nor do they feel the necessity of it." This statement drew criticism for allegedly belittling people with low income and education levels.

As the controversy grew, candidate Yoon explained the intent of his remarks, saying, "I am not disrespecting those people but saying we need to help them," and clarified, "If life is hard, they cannot feel such things. Freedom means that whether poor or uneducated, free people must unite to make them feel freedom by ensuring conditions for them to receive more education and appreciate the value of freedom."

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