[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has recently come to light that Yoo Si-min, chairman of the 'People's Livelihood Foundation Roh Moo-hyun,' praised Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, as having "the qualities needed to run a government" through his YouTube channel 1 year and 4 months ago, drawing attention.
Chairman Yoo especially said, "Governor Lee Jae-myung would have done very well not only in administration but also if he had run a business," and predicted that he would build a very solid support base in the upcoming presidential race.
The prediction came true. According to a suitability survey for presidential candidates conducted over three days from the 30th of last month to the 1st of this month by Embrain Public, K-stat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research targeting 1,012 people nationwide aged 18 and over, Governor Lee Jae-myung topped the list with 25% support, leading former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (19%) by 6 percentage points.
Chairman Yoo's remarks about Governor Lee date back to April 17 of last year. At that time, Yoo mentioned Lee during a conversation with lawyer Jo Su-jin on his YouTube broadcast 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo' (episode 59).
He first highly praised Lee, saying, "(Governor Lee Jae-myung) gained charm from the people through swift and lightning-fast handling and decisiveness during the COVID-19 process," adding, "This is the greatest strength of the politician Lee Jae-myung."
Furthermore, he added, "Gyeonggi Province has completely removed illegal structures in river valleys, and all public officials who neglect the crackdown on illegal structures are disciplined. Also, they have formed a tracking team for illegal waste and garbage mountains within Gyeonggi Province, uncovering everything and filing complaints."
He then analyzed, "There probably aren't people who support Lee because he has personality, virtue, or dignity," and "Supporters back him not because of virtue or personality but because they see his straightforward and sensible handling of matters as reasonable."
Chairman Yoo's praise for Governor Lee continued.
He said, "Just look at Baedal Minjok. When Gyeonggi Province announced it would create a public-led delivery app (Baedal Teukgeup) knowing the harm Baedal Minjok causes by taking commissions from small business owners and self-employed people, Baedal Minjok immediately knelt the next day," praising it as "a representative case showing what kind of authority a state matter should have."
He continued, "It's not about sticking to old-fashioned theories about what the state should do. The idea that the market should be left alone doesn't work for Governor Lee," and evaluated, "Governor Lee does not fudge things in administration but legally judges whether a problem falls under his authority. If he judges it is within his authority, he pushes forward regardless of who files an administrative lawsuit, as long as it is legitimate."
Chairman Yoo said, "This is exactly the quality needed for someone running a government, and Governor Lee has it," adding, "He would do very well not only in administration but also if he ran a business."
He concluded the broadcast by saying, "(I believe that Governor Lee) will build a very solid support base during the upcoming presidential primary process."
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