Lee Jun-seok "Regrets Moon Administration's Security Gap Claims Stirring Conflict with Next Government"

"Integration Achieved by President-elect Yoon, Integration Not Achieved by Moon Administration"
"Ahn Cheol-soo Fully Qualified, No Reason to Exclude from Prime Minister Candidates"
"People Power Party and People Party Merger to Be Completed Around Early April Following Major Principles"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] On the 27th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, commented on the confirmed meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, saying, "Since they have actively communicated in the past as former Prosecutor General and President, communication will proceed smoothly as long as they meet."

Lee appeared on MBN's 'Sisa Special' that day and said, "It would have been better if the meeting had taken place quickly, but there was a cooling-off period because the Blue House showed some discomfort regarding one of Yoon's key pledges, the relocation of the presidential office. Since the meeting is happening later, I hope they agree on various measures for a smooth transition above all." Regarding the Blue House's stance on the office relocation, he said, "It is truly regrettable that the previous administration raised concerns about security gaps and confronted the next government."

Earlier, the Blue House and the President-elect's side announced that on the 28th, President Moon and President-elect Yoon will have a dinner meeting at the Blue House without an agenda. Their meeting comes 19 days after the presidential election, the latest among meetings between incumbent presidents and president-elects after past elections.

Regarding concerns about conflicts between old and new powers and the need for unity, he stated, "The one who achieved unity is President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol; the one who failed to achieve unity is the Moon Jae-in administration." Lee praised Yoon, saying, "(Yoon) has been working together with Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, since the Presidential Transition Committee stage, and upon entering the party (People Power Party), he received comprehensive support, became the presidential candidate, and was elected. This is something no politician has achieved smoothly until now." On the other hand, he criticized President Moon, saying, "The Prosecutor General appointed by the Moon administration became president, and the Auditor General became a People Power Party member of the National Assembly. This shows that even those who worked together were fed up with the administration's incompetence and unfairness."

He also mentioned Ahn's 'possibility as the next Prime Minister.' Lee said, "Ahn has sufficient qualifications to be Prime Minister," adding, "There are other excellent candidates, and the President-elect will choose based on his considerations to properly realize his national governance philosophy, but there is absolutely no reason to exclude Ahn." Regarding People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong, considered one of Yoon's close aides ('Yunhaekgwan'), calling Ahn's prime ministerial speculation 'excessive ambition,' Lee responded, "Some remarks were made without knowing the President-elect's exact intentions, and some were personal opinions. Since the President-elect shows considerable satisfaction with Ahn, such exclusion does not align with the facts."

Regarding the June local elections, he emphasized 'ability-based nominations,' saying, "Following the presidential election, please give us your support once more." He stated, "The People Power Party will thoroughly verify abilities and nominate candidates based on competence. This time, we held a test (Public Official Candidate Competency Enhancement Test, PPAT), and only those in the top 20% or 30% among proportional representation candidates can apply for nomination." He also hinted at possible changes to the 'nomination penalty rule,' which caused internal party conflicts. He said, "I oppose artificial regulations such as penalty points or bonus points. It was discussed with a majority opinion in the Supreme Council, but if the Nomination Management Committee requests a review, I think it should be voted on again."

When asked whether a merger would be completed before the June local election candidate nominations, he predicted, "I don't see any major obstacles. If negotiations proceed according to the agreed main principles, I think the merger process will be completed smoothly around early April."

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