Meeting with Representative Lee Jun-seok is expected to be difficult
Party leader bypass and campaign committee appointments cited as challenges
Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is entering the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy reporters Kum Boryeong and Park Juni] Whether to visit Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, who is staying in Jeju Island, and if so, what can be offered?Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is deeply troubled.
For now, Yoon said on the 3rd that he wants to meet Lee but has no plans to go to Jeju. This does not mean he refuses to meet; rather, he believes a meeting only makes sense after a 'solution' is prepared. Voices urging Yoon to make a 'decision' from both inside and outside the party are also adding pressure.
On the morning of the same day, Yoon met with reporters in front of the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, and said, "I want to meet (Lee)." He added, "I am embarrassed by the current situation and there are parts I do not understand myself. While that could be called a misunderstanding, I have no misunderstanding of Lee. I have always thought he is a remarkable figure."
However, it seems difficult to meet immediately. Kwon Seong-dong, the party secretary-general and a close aide to Yoon, told reporters, "We are not going to Jeju today," adding, "If we meet, it should lead to a resolution, but going without going through a process of coordinating opinions is inappropriate." Lee was reported to have conducted local activities in Jeju until the morning and then planned to move to Ulsan.
Concerns were raised on the same day that the prolonged conflict between the two has triggered a decline in approval ratings, signaling a red light ahead of the presidential election. Ha Tae-kyung, a lawmaker who served as co-chairman of Yoon’s campaign, emphasized, "There needs to be personnel reform toward centrist and youth expansion," and added, "Yoon must accept Lee’s demand for a campaign committee overhaul for regime change to be possible." Hong Joon-pyo, who met with Yoon the previous day, also wrote on Facebook, "I advised (Yoon) to reorganize the campaign committee anew, just as Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is doing."
The biggest challenges are considered to be ‘bypassing the party leader’ and ‘personnel appointments.’ In an interview with JTBC the day before, Lee made a pointed remark, saying, "The party leader is not a subordinate of the presidential candidate." Lee has been in conflict with Yoon over campaign committee appointments and schedules and has canceled all public appearances since the 30th of last month, continuing his absence.
At a dinner with the party’s senior advisers the previous day, Yoon was ordered to bring Lee along and reportedly responded, "I understand well" and "I will carry out the intention." It was reported that Yoon was considering a trip to Jeju to meet Lee directly but canceled his public schedule on the day and took time to deliberate. The urgent closed-door meeting held that morning to discuss countermeasures with campaign committee members was in this context. Attendees included co-campaign committee chairman Kim Ki-hyun, policy chief Won Hee-ryong, strategy planning deputy chief Yoon Han-hong, and special advisor chief Kwon Young-se.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
