Sung Il-jong: "Kim Jong-in and Ahn Cheol-soo Seem to Feel They Are Lacking as Leaders"

If the Party Leader Were Present, You Wouldn't Have Said That

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Seong Il-jong, Emergency Response Committee member of the People Power Party, said on the 13th regarding former Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in's use of the term "arrogant" toward Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, "I got the impression that (Chairman Kim) feels that Ahn is insufficiently prepared as a leader."

Seong appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that day and said, "If he were still the party leader, he would never say such a thing. Also, he wouldn't have said it," adding, "Since he has returned to being a private citizen, I wouldn't criticize him for expressing his opinion."

He said, "I personally asked him once because he didn't give Ahn a high score," and continued, "I asked how many times they had met. He said they met more than ten times. He said they had long conversations," adding, "From my perspective, it might be a fixed stereotype about Ahn, but I got the impression that he feels Ahn is insufficiently prepared as a leader."

He went on, "Since Ahn must have studied a lot and prepared well, I think it would be good for the two of them to have many conversations over time about the management capabilities for the country that Ahn has prepared, his philosophy for running the country, and how to solve the national issues faced in this era. If he has big dreams, I think he should seek wisdom and advice not only from Kim Jong-in but also from various national elders and experienced advisors," adding, "I believe Kim Jong-in would not refuse such a request for dialogue."

When the host asked if expressing "the opposition's victory" was arrogant, Seong replied, "Candidate Oh Se-hoon actually won by competing against candidate Ahn Cheol-soo," and explained, "On January 6 or so, Ahn Cheol-soo said he would run as the unified opposition candidate for Seoul mayor and came to visit. At that time, there was no unified opposition candidate. I told him that if he wanted to become one, he should join our party and compete, then he could become the leader. There was communication lacking because he asked how he could run with number 2 on the ballot."