Former Professor Jin Joong-kwon Criticizes Ruling Party's 'Learning from Lee Jae-myung' Craze
"Old Activist Style... Very Unfamiliar and Strange"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kim Namguk, a member of the Democratic Party and head of the Election Countermeasures Committee's online communication team, recommended candidate Lee Jae-myung's autobiography Human Lee Jae-myung to former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon but was rejected. Former professor Jin criticized the so-called "Learning Lee Jae-myung" craze sweeping inside the Democratic Party as an "outdated activist culture."
Kim stated on CBS Radio's One Match on the 30th of last month, "I have been carrying this book (Human Lee Jae-myung) in my bag for a few days and reading it little by little."
He added, "Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil suggested reading Human Lee Jae-myung to understand the strengths and life hardships of candidate Lee Jae-myung together," explaining, "I also plan to participate in the relay campaign."
When asked, "It would be good if Professor Jin Joong-kwon reads it once. Should I suggest it to him since it’s a relay campaign?" former professor Jin replied, "Sorry, but I am a normal person," rejecting the proposal.
Former professor Jin strongly criticized the "Learning Lee Jae-myung" craze recently sweeping the ruling party, saying, "Back in the old NL student activist days, when a new chairman was elected, there was 'learning from the chairman,' 'learning from the Korean Federation of University Student Councils chairman,' and so on," adding, "For a political party to adopt the old activist methods? Especially in a liberal society? It’s very unfamiliar and strange."
In response, Kim said, "As a member of the 2030 youth generation, I don’t really know how the NL activist seniors operated," but added, "If party members are to confidently say this is our candidate, isn’t it important to know the candidate well? Please don’t view this entirely negatively."
Human Lee Jae-myung is the candidate’s autobiography published last August. According to the book description, it is a comprehensive compilation of Lee’s life, detailing his birth, time as a child laborer, lawyer career, mayor of Seongnam, governor of Gyeonggi Province, and rise to a leading presidential candidate.
Leader Song recently publicly proposed the "Relay Lee Jae-myung Correct Understanding Campaign" with the intention of encouraging people to read this book and learn more about the candidate.
Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party candidate, holding the autobiography of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, "Human Lee Jae-myung." / Photo by Song Young-gil Facebook
On the 29th of last month, he wrote on his Facebook, "We need to study and analyze the party’s official presidential candidate more to promote and persuade the public," emphasizing, "I will devote all my efforts to ensure candidate Lee Jae-myung is well promoted over 100 days."
However, some criticism has arisen regarding this movement. Former professor Jin wrote on Facebook mocking the Democratic Party’s "Learning Lee Jae-myung" as "Jaemyung Studies."
He said, "Yangming Studies, Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi Studies, and now the newly popular Jaemyung Studies. I have become interested in this emerging field," sarcastically noting, "It includes numerous research topics such as the sister-in-law curse, murder defense, gang involvement allegations, Daejang-dong project corruption, lawyer fee payments, and the use of unofficial organizations in city and provincial governance."
He added, "The fundamental question of Jaemyung Studies is 'What kind of person is Lee Jae-myung really?'" and concluded, "Voters need to understand Lee Jae-myung correctly."
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