Jin Joong-kwon to Yoon's side refusing debate: "The opponents are not Lee Jae-myung but the people... Must show a responsible attitude"

People Power Party Criticized as "Highly Inappropriate" Even for "Left-Leaning" Remarks

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized the People Power Party for refusing to participate in the presidential candidate debate, citing the organizers' left-leaning bias. The photo shows former professor Jin attending a seminar hosted by the Economic and Social Research Institute at Choi In-ah Bookstore in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in July last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized Hwang Sang-mu, head of the media strategy planning team at the People Power Party's election campaign headquarters, for claiming that the Korea Journalists Association and JTBC are left-leaning, calling it "highly inappropriate."

On the 7th, Jin appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' and said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol presidential candidate's camp should consider that their opponent is not Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, but the people. They must show a responsible attitude in front of the public."

He added, "In the previous debate, some experts said (Yoon) performed the best, while others said Lee performed the worst. Excluding these opinions means they are confident and unwilling to take even a slight risk. In my view, this is very inappropriate," he pointed out.

Regarding the controversial remarks by Hwang, Jin sharply questioned, "Why would they accept such people in their camp? I don't understand."

He continued, "It doesn't make sense logically. Our country's journalism is very partisan, but among them, isn't former JTBC president Sohn Suk-hee regarded as the most reliable and proper media figure? If someone calls him left-leaning, then what does that make themselves? I think having such people in the campaign itself is a problem," he strongly criticized.

Earlier, on the 6th, Hwang posted on his Facebook explaining the reason for refusing the presidential candidate debate scheduled for the 8th, saying, "The host, the Journalists Association, is severely left-leaning, and among the general programming channels, JTBC is also the most left-leaning," which sparked controversy.

Following continued criticism, Hwang apologized on the 7th for his remarks. He stated, "I sincerely apologize for my comments and Facebook posts made during the practical negotiations for the debate last weekend. Since presidential candidate debates are a major basis for the public's judgment, fairness is most important, and I tried to uphold this personal conviction. However, I acknowledge that calling the Korea Journalists Association and JTBC biased and mentioning it again on Facebook was excessive."

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