Jeong Dong-yeong "The alternative called the Democratic Party is unsatisfactory, I'm worried"

"Unable to Refute or Unite: Incompetence"
"Old Boy Criticism? The Core of Politicians is Their Line"

Jeong Dong-young, a former Minister of Unification under the Roh Moo-hyun administration and a senior advisor who was a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concern that "the people have the opposition party to rely on, but the Democratic Party as an alternative is not satisfactory."

On the 25th, Jeong appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and stated, "Factional conflicts, pro-Moon and anti-Moon divisions, these are stories that the public is very tired of."

He said, "How many national issues are there right now? The start of Fukushima (contaminated water) discharge, North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite but failed and announced it will try again in October, and various disasters and accidents are threatening the safety of the people's lives," adding, "At this critical juncture, the Democratic Party, which has upheld the values of democracy for decades and is a party that has protected and built democracy, must unite and fight for the greater cause of democracy and peace."

Jeong Dong-yeong, former Minister of Unification. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, he pointed out, "Voters and the public are ready to judge the situation where democracy and human rights are shaken, and peace is unstable, but the Democratic Party as an alternative is not satisfactory."

Regarding the problems within the Democratic Party, Jeong said, "There is anachronistic Cold War thinking, and in a situation where they are leading the charge toward a new Cold War, they cannot properly rebut it, and although they talk about the DJ spirit, they fail to unite due to incompetence," adding, "There is a need to reinforce experience and capability."

When asked about running in the general election, Jeong avoided a direct answer, saying, "Rather than that, the serious concern for the country and the Democratic Party is much more decisive." Regarding negative views on the return of 'old boys,' he responded, "What matters is the line," and said, "The standard should be what principles and philosophy one has upheld and what one has done, not anything else."

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