Yoon Seok-yeol Rapidly Emerges as Leading Conservative Presidential Candidate... Surpasses Hong, Hwang, and Ahn
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, criticized on the 30th the rapid rise of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol as a leading presidential candidate by absorbing support from the opposition camp, saying, "In which country could such a thing happen? It's truly outrageous."
Earlier, Prosecutor General Yoon ranked third with double-digit support in a recent poll asking about preferred next presidential candidates.
On the same day, Choi analyzed on CBS Radio's 'Sisa Jaki Jung Kwan-yong imnida,' saying, "This phenomenon stems from the political support of those who claim to be conservatives in the Republic of Korea having nowhere to go, so attention is focused on the person most mentioned in the media and seen as opposing the government."
He continued about Prosecutor General Yoon, "Basically, (Yoon) is not a politician, and much of his capability comes from his position as Prosecutor General," adding, "Since his actions as Prosecutor General will continue to be evaluated, it is likely to be a bubble for now."
Choi analyzed that Yoon's moves are with a presidential bid in mind. He said, "I have heard that since becoming the head of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, he has met many people who could be seen as political opponents," and explained, "It doesn't seem like he has no intention of running for president."
Regarding the conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon, he pointed out, "The problem arose because Yoon did not properly follow the minister's appropriate instructions," and said, "It clearly stems from the subordinate Prosecutor General's fault."
He added, "As democratization progressed, the possibility of physical violence not based on law has greatly decreased, so the prosecution has emerged as an institution exercising legitimate violence, and it is strange that someone like the Prosecutor General claims to be at the ministerial level."
Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Yoon was named among the candidates in the next presidential preference poll. According to a June poll conducted by Realmeter, a public opinion research firm commissioned by OhmyNews, Yoon recorded 10.1%, ranking third.
Following him were opposition presidential candidates Hong Joon-pyo, former leader of the Liberty Korea Party (5.3%), Hwang Kyo-ahn, former leader of the United Future Party (4.8%), Oh Se-hoon, former mayor of Seoul (4.4%), and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party (3.9%).
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