Lee Jun-seok Targets Yoon Core Supporters: "Should Run in the Capital Region and Be Evaluated"

"Yoon Core Group Lacks Ability to Manage the Nation... Will Find Another Scapegoat"
On Question Including 'Yoon's Scapegoat': "Reminds Me of Samsung Family"
"Issue with Yoon Due to Selfishness of Intermediaries Conveying Situation"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference on the 13th at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and while expressing his position directly regarding the provisional injunction application related to the party's transition to an emergency response committee system, he was seen with reddened eyes. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok on the 13th pointed to Yoon Core Group (key figures close to President Yoon Seok-yeol) as the cause of the conflict between himself and President Yoon, repeatedly expressing his discomfort toward them.

After a press conference at the National Assembly, Lee told reporters, “The issues concerning the president largely stemmed from misunderstandings. These misunderstandings occurred because those who conveyed and spread the situation in the middle acted with selfish intentions.” He continued, “There were cases where information exchanged between the president and me was leaked externally,” adding, “Over the past year, seeing these incidents repeat, I conducted numerous experiments and reached one conclusion. There were people who distorted a lot of information between the president and me and sowed discord,” targeting the Yoon Core Group.

He also criticized, “I believe the people called Yoon Core Group lack the ability to manage a political party or the country, so they will inevitably look for scapegoats and step forward again.” When asked if President Yoon was included among the scapegoats of the Yoon Core Group, he replied, “The word Samsunggano comes to mind.” Samsunggano is a term from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms criticizing L? Bu, who served multiple fathers, and in the 2017 presidential election context, it is interpreted as Representative Jang Je-won, who supported three candidates, possibly backing another politician.

When asked why the Yoon Core Group thinks he should step down, Lee said, “There was significant resistance after the introduction of the Public Official Candidate Basic Qualification Test (PPAT). Some of the Yoon Core Group supporters in local parties tried to nominate candidates who failed to meet the proportional representation score, which led to a major conflict with me. They thought they should allocate positions to those who had long devoted themselves to the party and attended events carrying bags for their own benefit, but I stood against that. It may not seem like a big deal, but I think it was a crisis for them.”

He directed toward the Yoon Core Group, “I won’t say they should declare they won’t run, but they should come out from their strong constituencies to the metropolitan area and face evaluations about themselves. No matter how you look at it now, they are not yet key figures capable of managing state affairs because their ears only listen to one side’s voice and their mouths only speak one side’s position.”

When asked if he had said everything he wanted to say to President Yoon and the Yoon Core Group today, Lee hinted at the possibility of further revelations, saying, “Why would I write a book otherwise?”

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