Yunsim Wasn't on Lee Jun-seok's Side... "Internal Criticism Party Leader" Leak Causes Huge Controversy

Democratic Party of Korea "President directing party leadership battle... Hypocritical like Tosagupeng" fierce criticism
Lee Jun-seok "Double-faced... Clearly understand the meaning" counterattack... Conflict likely to deepen

Yoon Seok-yeol, then the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on November 25 last year, turning their heads away from each other. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yoon Yoon-jin] The aftermath of the conversation between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Kwon Seong-dong, the acting leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, has sparked a fierce backlash. There is growing controversy as evaluations suggest that the so-called 'Yunshim (尹心)'?President Yoon's influence?may have been reflected in the party's decisions, including the disciplinary action against Representative Lee Jun-seok.

On the 26th, during a government questioning session held at the National Assembly plenary session, a conversation exchanged via Telegram with the sender displayed as 'President Yoon Seok-yeol' on Acting Leader Kwon's mobile phone screen was captured by the media. The sender messaged Kwon, "Our party is doing well too. We should keep it up like this," and "The party leader who used to engage in internal backstabbing has changed, and things have improved." After the content was reported, Acting Leader Kwon apologized on his Facebook, stating, "It is entirely my fault for carelessly exposing private conversations with the President, which caused misunderstandings."

President Yoon has so far maintained a distance from party affairs, saying, "It is inappropriate as the President to comment on party matters." Even during the unprecedented incident on the 8th, when Representative Lee was suspended from party membership for six months over allegations of instructing the destruction of evidence related to sexual bribery, President Yoon remained silent. Representative Lee also directly criticized the so-called 'Yunhaekgwan (윤핵관, Core associates of Yoon Seok-yeol)' by saying, "The people who seem most excited about the disciplinary action against the party leader are those classified as Yunhaekgwan," but drew a line on claims that 'Yunshim' influenced the party's decision, stating, "I have no idea about the possibility of Yunshim's involvement."

However, the dominant interpretation is that President Yoon's negative feelings toward Representative Lee were openly revealed through expressions like "internal backstabbing." Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon analyzed, "The suspicion that President Yoon was behind Representative Lee's 'expulsion' from the party has been proven true," adding, "This could act as a negative factor for President Yoon, who was seeking to recover approval ratings." Kim Yong-tae, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 27th and lamented, "It seems to confirm rumors that the President disliked Representative Lee," while also pointing out, "Acting Leader Kwon should clarify whether he also considers it internal backstabbing and share his thoughts."

The Democratic Party of Korea, encountering a favorable opportunity, is fanning the flames of division within the ruling party, accusing President Yoon of contributing to Representative Lee's 'throwing away after use.' Cho Oh-seop, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, pressured on the 26th in a written briefing, "Is the President secretly leading the party power struggle behind the scenes without any concern for the people's worries? He should clearly state whether he was involved in Representative Lee's disciplinary action." Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party's emergency committee chairman, criticized at the National Assembly emergency committee meeting on the 27th, "Is South Korea so idle that the President feels good enough to send such messages to the acting leader after removing the leader of his own ruling party? He once begged for young voters' support relying on Representative Lee, but now he shows political cruelty by immediately cutting down the young leader, calling it internal backstabbing, exposing the hypocrisy of the President and Yunhaekgwan."

Screenshot of Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, on Facebook.

Representative Lee, who remained silent on the day of the report, posted on his Facebook on the afternoon of the 27th, "On that island, they hang a sheep's head in front but sell dog meat received from gangsters behind. I like this island because everything is as honest as it appears." By referring to the phrase 'Yangduguyuk (羊頭狗肉),' meaning something that looks good on the outside but is unsatisfactory inside, he seemed to indirectly express his discomfort toward President Yoon and the Yunhaekgwan figures.

Regarding this, the commentator speculated that Representative Lee would not launch a direct offensive, saying, "He is likely to adopt a low-key strategy for a while to sufficiently gain momentum in the public opinion battle, then later return as a party leader candidate by confronting President Yoon and Yunhaekgwan." He added, "As public dislike toward Yunhaekgwan grows, this is actually positive for Representative Lee. Having confirmed the true intention of Yunshim, he must feel freer now."

Meanwhile, Acting Leader Kwon apologized again on the morning of the 27th in front of the National Assembly floor leader's office, saying, "I apologize to party members and the public for causing concern due to the leakage and disclosure of private messages." He then stated, "Since the private messages were unintentionally leaked, I will not confirm any questions related to the content as a principle. My privacy should also be protected," refusing further inquiries. Presidential Chief Secretary for Public Relations Choi Young-beom, when asked about the Presidential Office's position after the briefing that day, responded, "Since Acting Leader Kwon has already stated his position, it is not appropriate for the Presidential Office to officially make additional statements," but added, "It is highly undesirable that private conversation contents were exposed in any way, causing some misunderstandings among the public and various media. It is regrettable."

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