Lee Jun-seok: "Jung Jin-seok, Using 'Political Senior' Expression, Many Points of Criticism"

"Jung Jin-seok's Claim, Both Facts and Form Are Wrong"
"Verbal Dispute with Jung Jin-seok Is Not About Yoon Core Group Issue"
Jang Je-won Skips Dandelion Event, "Decision Should Be Respected"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] On the 12th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, commented on Rep. Jeong Jin-seok of the same party, with whom he recently had a heated exchange on social media, saying, "No matter how much older the National Assembly Vice Speaker is compared to the party leader, in terms of hierarchy, the party leader is higher," and added, "It was regrettable that he used the term 'political senior' while criticizing me."

Lee appeared on KBS's 'Sunday Diagnosis' that day and said, "I trusted Rep. Jeong, so this situation is very disappointing," emphasizing that Jeong's criticism was factually incorrect. He refuted Jeong's claim that he acted against the government and the presidential office by stating, "When I went to Ukraine, three Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials accompanied me. All schedule messages were coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and prior coordination was also made with the presidential office." He added, "I don't understand why this controversy has continued. I also question whether this was a controversy that should have arisen after my departure to Ukraine."

In response to the host's question about whether this controversy is an extension of conflicts with Yoon Core Group (key figures close to Yoon Seok-yeol), Lee said, "Yoon Core Group refers to those who give anonymous interviews to certain media outlets as key figures close to Yoon Seok-yeol," and cautioned against overinterpretation by stating, "The issue with Rep. Jeong is not about the Yoon Core Group. He spoke confidently under his own name." He added, "However, since his claims did not align with the facts and were not in the proper form, I had no choice but to strongly oppose them."

When asked if there are forces within the party trying to shake his leadership, Lee replied, "There may be people who criticize or try to shake the party leader for various reasons, but I don't think they are acting consistently as a group," and said, "The Yoon Core Group is not an organization plotting anything. It seems there were people asserting their presence through anonymous interviews, but they are not a significant threat at this point."

Regarding Rep. Jang Je-won's decision to abstain from the party's pro-Yoon faction meeting called 'Mindeulle,' Lee said, "Rep. Jang's decision should be respected. Perhaps that is the path to the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration." However, he added, "What is regrettable is that while making this decision, he emphasized loyalty to Floor Leader Kwon, but it might have been better to say that the decision was made for the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration." He also commented, "I think it was somewhat hasty at this point to actively attempt the launch of Mindeulle, which was not consulted with or agreed upon by everyone."

Lee also expressed his position on the party innovation committee he is pushing for right after the local elections. He said, "Above all, candidate selection must achieve two goals: fairness and nominating candidates who can win. Institutionalizing this is important," showing his determination for candidate selection reform. He continued, "If I were a dictator, I would design everything overnight, but a party must discuss through democratic procedures. Rep. Choi Jae-hyung, who is chairing the innovation committee, was the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, responsible for auditing the country, so he will identify problems with candidate selection and propose solutions."

Regarding concerns that the next party leadership might nullify this candidate selection system, Lee said, "It could be nullified. However, it will be difficult for the next leadership to modify a candidate selection system made in the right direction," and added, "If the direction goes against reform, the public will view it very negatively, so I hope the reform proposals from the innovation committee align with what the public desires." He also addressed concerns about the innovation committee's involvement, saying, "I will point out numerous problems and deficiencies in party rules and regulations that I have felt while serving as party leader," and dismissed worries by stating, "I hope people don't be too sensitive about the candidate selection rules. As party leader, I oversaw local election candidate selection and the presidential primary, but I never changed the rules."

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