Lee Hae-chan: "Lee Jae-myung, a Too Valuable Candidate... United Establishment Like Han Dong-hoon Attacking"

The Reason for the Democratic Party's Defeat Is the 'Established Power Cartel'
Prosecutors, Media, and Bureaucrats, Along with the Wealthy, Take It All
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol Is a Personnel Failure of the Moon Administration

Former Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan described the last presidential election, saying, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung was such a regrettable candidate" and "He was a very good candidate."

In his memoir released on the 21st, titled 'Dreams Gather to Become History,' Lee said, "Where else in politics is there someone who has lived like Candidate Lee?"

Regarding the emerging 'Lee Hae-chan role theory,' the former leader emphasized, "I am done now. I must step aside," and added, "The party inevitably has to move centered around Lee Jae-myung."

Lee pointed out that the reason for the Democratic Party's defeat in the presidential election lies with the vested interest cartel. He stated, "The vested interest cartel united tightly to attack someone like Representative Lee," and claimed, "Even when evidence of corruption allegations on Yoon Seok-youl's side surfaced, the prosecution did not investigate, and the media ignored it. On the other hand, suspicions against Candidate Lee were inflated without any evidence."

He identified a figure like Han Dong-hoon as the typical center of that cartel, saying, "The prosecution, media, and bureaucratic groups are all dominated by the second generation of the wealthy and vested interests." He continued, "Those from the Gangnam 3 districts, special-purpose high schools, and SKY (Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University) universities have become the mainstream in the civil service society," adding, "Looking at the future of our society, this is very bad. The conservative elite cartel will control each sector."

Lee also mentioned interest voting, class voting, and the conservative shift in consciousness. He said, "This time, we lost not only in the Gangnam 3 districts but also in Gangdong-gu and Yongsan-gu," and noted, "In Gwangju as well, the wealthy concentrated areas had very high vote shares for Yoon Seok-youl." He assessed, "There is a material desire related to real estate, and consciousness has also become conservative."

He expressed regrets about the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate and personnel policies. Lee criticized, "Even people who own one house have different circumstances," and said, "The comprehensive real estate tax policy needs to be made more meticulous." Regarding personnel policy, he sharply criticized, "Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is a representative case of personnel failure."

Regarding the late President Roh Moo-hyun, Lee recalled, "He was truly a good person." He said, "We worked together during the opposition days and as members of the National Assembly. He was very passionate and intense," and added, "There is no one like former President Roh. He was selfless, open-minded, and not authoritarian."

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