Im Jong-seok "Moon in Blue Jumper... Due to Responsibility for Collapsing Korean Politics and Economy"

"Former President Moon Emphasizes Regime Judgment"
"Economic Growth Rate in the 1% Range, but No Sense of Crisis in Yoon Administration"

Former Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok recently attributed former President Moon Jae-in's campaign support for Democratic Party candidates running in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region to a sense of responsibility for the collapsing political, economic, and diplomatic situation in South Korea.

On the 4th, Im said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Former President Moon said, 'Beyond supporting the Democratic Party, all opposition forces should unite to sound the alarm to this government,'" explaining, "It means that it is not the Democratic Party's victory but the people's victory that is needed." He added, "Democratic Party supporters may be dissatisfied, saying he even mentioned the Jo Guk New Party and New Future, but former President Moon made a much more responsible statement," and said, "Everyone should unite to show public sentiment and sound the alarm to the Yoon Seok-yeol government."

He reminded that while the situation might be different in the metropolitan area, elections in the Nakdong River Belt have always been difficult from the Democratic Party's perspective. He said, "Former President Moon has had such experiences for a long time, so while the Democratic Party's victory is important, primarily, he meant that everyone should unite around the Democratic Party to continue the trend of judging the administration."

Former President Moon Jae-in visited Gunggeorang-gil in Samho-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, on the afternoon of the 2nd and greeted citizens together with Jeon Eun-su, the Democratic Party candidate for Nam-gu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He also conveyed that former President Moon is deeply worried about politics, economy, and diplomacy. Im said, "Former President Moon has expressed concerns about the economy multiple times on social media and in meetings with others," adding, "He has tried advising in various ways, but since there has been no change in the government's policy direction, his worries are great." He expressed concern, saying, "Although elections are underway now, beyond that, he probably cannot sleep over South Korea's diplomacy, especially the economy," and added, "The degree of collapse is severe."

Im stated, "Not everything was perfect under the Moon Jae-in administration, but at that time, the diplomatic horizon was solidly expanding, South Korea was a model country in pandemic prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic, and trade and economic growth were progressing steadily," and claimed, "However, since the Yoon Seok-yeol government took office, within just two years, holes have appeared, and it feels like a crisis of collapse." He continued, "Last year, our country's economic growth rate was 1.4%, lower than that of the U.S. and Japan, and this year, it does not seem likely to exceed the 1% range," criticizing, "At this point, the president and government should have a sense of crisis, change the administration, and show a tireless work ethic day and night, but they do not move at all."

Regarding People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon's criticism that "During the Moon Jae-in administration, real estate prices skyrocketed, and it was really hard to live," Im dismissed it, saying, "He is pointing in the wrong direction."

He added, "He has no understanding of why the call for judging the administration is expanding beyond conservatives and progressives." Im countered, "It is true that people suffered from real estate issues and the prolonged COVID-19 period during the Moon Jae-in government," but said, "The current crisis is of a completely different nature." He further explained, "The real pain caused by economic mismanagement is hitting the people," citing, "Objective figures such as personal rehabilitation, corporate bankruptcies, wage arrears, and small business closures are the worst in 20 to 30 years."

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