Yoo Si-min: "Lee Jae-myung, Like an Off-Road Vehicle... Has Lived a Life Full of Scars"

Suspicion of Sister-in-Law's Profanity, Daejang-dong Favoritism Allegations Defended
"Looking into Candidate Lee's Past, I Feel Many Wounds"

Former Chairman Yoo Si-min of the People’s Livable Labor Foundation appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' / Photo by MBC YouTube Broadcast Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Yoo Si-min, former chairman of the People’s Livelihoods Foundation (Noh Moo-hyun Foundation), came to the defense of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate, by comparing him to a "car." Regarding the various allegations surrounding Lee, he said, "A Ferrari running on the highway has no flaws, but cars driving off-road get hit by stones, and their windows get cracked?those are the kinds of flaws they have," defending him.

On the 9th, Yoo appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus" and said, "Structural defects in a car require a recall, but issues with parts or exterior damage during operation can be repaired and fixed," expressing this view.

He described Lee as "a person who struggled to survive in very harsh conditions," adding, "During South Korea’s developing country era, there was a lot of history involving dictatorship, corruption, and human rights violations. The fact that the past was not admirable is not our flaw but a wound."

He also specifically defended Lee against various controversies and allegations. Regarding the so-called "older brother’s wife curse allegation," he said, "It was a fratricidal conflict that occurred during Lee’s survival process. The conflict arose while trying to block his older brother’s interference in administration," and added, "Although it is preferable not to utter such words (curses), considering the context, Lee was extremely angry and lost emotional control, so he mirrored that."

He continued, "It seems he doesn’t do that anymore, right? Then that’s good," and added, "Rather than flaws, you can see that Lee has many wounds if you look into his past."

Former Chairman Yoo talked about Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the broadcast that day. / Photo by MBC YouTube broadcast capture

Regarding the special favor allegations in the Daejang-dong development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, he said, "Compared to doing it as a 100% private project, it was well done," and criticized, "It can be pointed out that the Daejang-dong project was not fully public and did not bring all the development profits, but it is shameful for those who made laws and systems that prevent any public benefit to now criticize (Lee)."

He also commented on Lee’s recent apology concerning controversies related to former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, saying, "If you can’t even say that much, you can’t be called a presidential candidate," emphasizing, "Some progressives feel unfair, asking if even the tiniest mistake is not allowed, but people demand righteous behavior."

Meanwhile, this is the first time Yoo has spoken on political issues since April last year. At that time, he declared, "I will not engage in political criticism, current affairs discussions, or interviews through mainstream media," and has since focused on other broadcasting activities such as book reviews.

On the 12th of last month, Yoo invited Lee to a conversation on the Noh Moo-hyun Foundation’s YouTube channel. The two discussed the mid-length novel "The Man Left with Nine Pairs of Shoes" by writer Yoon Heung-gil.

At that event, Yoo said, "Some say Lee Jae-myung has many flaws, but there are those who interpret it differently," and evaluated, "They say those are not flaws but wounds."