"Is This What the Party Leader Should Say?"... Lee Jae-myung's Tangential Response Sparks Backlash

"Bringing in Other Parties Is Not a Good Method"
Lee Sang-min and Choi Jae-sung Criticize Lee Jae-myung's Rhetoric

The tangential speaking style of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has once again come under scrutiny. On the 3rd, regarding the resignation declarations of lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man, who left the party amid the 2021 party convention cash envelope scandal, Lee responded by calling it their "own decision," but when asked a follow-up question, he gave a tangential answer, saying, "What is going on with the recording issue involving Tae Young-ho (People Power Party) ? It seems to be a clear criminal act."

He did not answer questions about allegations involving Democratic Party lawmakers and instead shifted the topic to issues related to the People Power Party, which is interpreted as an attempt to change the frame. However, even within the opposition, there were criticisms that the leader's remarks were inappropriate.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Jae-sung, former senior secretary for political affairs at the Blue House, said in an interview with YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' that "The prosecution's investigation into the opposition party is being called a political attack or political investigation, and it seems he was indirectly pointing out the bias," but added, "I don't think it is a statement or action that the party leader should make."

When the host asked, "Are you saying he should not have done that?" Choi replied, "Yes," and said, "From the public's perspective, when reporters ask about the Democratic Party's cash envelope issue, he should respond accordingly. Bringing in another party is not a good method for a party leader," he said.

This is not the first time Lee has given tangential answers. Previously, when reporters asked about Song Young-gil, the key figure in the cash envelope scandal, Lee mentioned Kim Hyun-ah and Park Soon-ja, both from the People Power Party. Kim is under police investigation for illegal political fund acceptance, and Park has been indicted and detained on charges of accepting money in exchange for city council nomination rights.

Criticism also came from within the party. On the 4th, lawmaker Lee Sang-min said in a BBS Radio interview, "I roughly understand what (Lee's answer) means, but the public already knows about those issues in the opposing party without us mentioning them," adding, "I wonder why he felt the need to respond like that. From the public's perspective, it is unlikely to receive much applause."

He continued, "If a question is asked, the proper way is to answer sincerely and to the best of one's ability, or if there are reasons not to answer, to explain those reasons. That is the proper way," and added, "(If there are issues to raise) it would be better to criticize through separate channels."

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