Park Ji-won "Lee Nak-yeon, Politics Is What He Learned... Will Return to Politics"

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won predicted that former Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Nak-yeon, who is returning to Korea next month, will make a political comeback.

On the 23rd, on CBS's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match,' when asked by the host about 'Lee's role,' former Director Park said, "What else would Lee do if he comes back now? What he has learned is politics. Therefore, he can make political statements, and I think he will return to politics," expressing this view.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, "Lee will naturally engage in politics. He hasn't retired from politics, has he?" and "He does not see it as a new beginning."

Amid factional conflicts within the Democratic Party, divided between pro-Lee (친명, Chinmyeong) and anti-Lee (비명, Bimyeong) factions, concerns have arisen that Lee's return, who could become a focal point for the anti-Lee faction, might deepen these conflicts. Regarding this, former Director Park dismissed such worries, saying, "There is no need to worry prematurely about such issues."

He added, "What is necessary is for Lee Jae-myung, the current party leader, to demonstrate leadership to overcome these mistakes the Democratic Party is facing, to innovate well, and to present a vision to the people. It should not be about Lee Nak-yeon coming back and saying 'We will innovate the anti-Lee faction' or something like that," and "There is no need to fear criticism from hardcore party members. They should be persuaded well and move forward."

This was interpreted as meaning that Lee Jae-myung should exercise leadership without being swayed by the hardcore party members who criticize Lee Nak-yeon.

However, there are considerable disagreements within the Democratic Party regarding the direction of innovation. While the anti-Lee faction calls for 'reining in the hardcore fandom,' the pro-Lee faction advocates for abolishing the delegate system, which would inevitably strengthen the influence of the hardcore fandom. On this, former Director Park said, "If the Democratic Party gets caught up in such details, it will achieve nothing," and "As DJ said, fight while working and work while fighting."

He said, "The Democratic Party is currently engaged in a struggle against the government. For example, regarding the Fukushima contaminated water and nuclear wastewater issues, the health of fishermen, housewives, and all citizens is at stake. What kind of struggle will be waged on this? What alternatives will be proposed?" and "Leader Lee should not be bogged down by internal party issues but should take charge of opposition diplomacy on national interest grounds concerning the Fukushima issue and China-Russia relations for the sake of the people's livelihood and economy. I suggested making contact, but so far, there has been no initiative, and I think that is a problem."

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