Lee Jae-myung on the question of the approval rating gap with Yoon Seok-yeol: "The river of public sentiment flows"

Politics Requires Trust... Democratic Party Opposes Postponing Presidential Primary
People Power Party's Rights Commission Lukewarm on Full Investigation... Warns of Lee Jun-seok Phenomenon Illusion
Constitutional Amendment Needed for 4-Year Presidential Term Renewal... Prioritizing COVID-19 Prevention Measures

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is seen deep in thought while looking at the photos on display at the 'Kim Dae-jung Presidential Residence Memorial Hall,' which opened in Goyang City on the afternoon of the 15th.

[Asia Economy (Seoul) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, clearly expressed his opposition to the Democratic Party of Korea's call to postpone the presidential primary, stating that "politics is about trust."

He also warned that the ruling People Power Party's lukewarm attitude toward the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's full-scale real estate investigation would not deceive the public with inconsistent words and actions, and that the so-called "Lee Jun-seok phenomenon" could end up being an illusion.

Furthermore, regarding constitutional amendments such as the four-year two-term presidential system, he said that while it is inevitably necessary someday, the priority now should be given to COVID-19 prevention and other livelihood issues.

Regarding the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) into former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who is leading the opposition's presidential preference polls, Lee said he is watching it with interest. On the issue of the Justice Party's push for the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act, he said he has his own thoughts but would consider responding after Yoon answers first.

On the 15th, after attending the "6.15 Commemoration Democratic Peace Plaza Korean Peninsula Peace Headquarters Special Forum" held at the Convention Hall of the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Lee met with reporters and addressed the Democratic Party's proposal to postpone the primary. He said, "In politics, trust is important, and trust comes from keeping principles and promises," adding, "Politics is a place where there is not even a single promissory note, and no matter how many promises are broken or lies told, there are no sanctions. Because of this, lies run rampant and principles are easily broken, but I want to emphasize the need for efforts to keep principles and promises," expressing his opposition to postponing the primary.

Regarding criticism that the People Power Party is lukewarm about the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's real estate investigation, he directly stated, "This is a clear case of inconsistency between words and actions and a model of old-fashioned politics. They say good things in front of the public but say different things behind their backs. They declared they would accept an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, which has no investigative authority, and when they judged they could not avoid the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's investigation, they are now trying not to cooperate in practice."

He continued, "If these things accumulate, it will again go against the public sentiment gained from the 'Lee Jun-seok phenomenon.' The public is not so naive as to be swayed by a single word or deceived by inconsistency between words and actions. This must be kept in mind," he advised.

On the constitutional amendment, he said, "I believe that constitutional amendments, which can be considered a fundamental consensus including the four-year two-term system, strengthening decentralization, enhancing human rights protection, especially recent environmental issues, and strengthening the concept of public land ownership, will inevitably be necessary someday. However, the current livelihood of our people is very difficult, and especially since the COVID-19 prevention issue is not yet resolved, I think we need to prioritize prevention and livelihood for now."

Regarding the CIO investigation into former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he said, "I have been watching since the CIO chose Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon as its first investigation target, and I think the CIO should be more cautious," avoiding direct comments.

When asked about his thoughts on the petition for the Anti-Discrimination Act, he said, "I do have opinions on that, but I will consider responding after former Prosecutor General Yoon answers first," adding, "I think you will find it interesting," leaving a meaningful remark.

The Anti-Discrimination Act is centered on the principle that discrimination cannot be justified under any conditions such as gender, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act is the first starting point for all humans to live with dignity. Currently, the National Assembly's public petition demanding the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act has surpassed 100,000 signatures.

Regarding the recent gap in approval ratings between him and former Prosecutor General Yoon in presidential candidate polls, Lee said, "The river of public sentiment flows and the water fluctuates. However, ultimately, the choice of our people will be decided at the final destination, and I think I should humbly accept that choice."

He especially noted, "Sometimes the waves are high and the turbulence severe, but I believe that our people will carefully decide the nation and future from the bottom of their hearts, so these small currents and turbulence will all pass," showing a nonchalant attitude toward the recent approval rating gap.