Lee Jae-myung Changes His Words in a Day... Kim Jin-tae Calls Him a "Candidate Without Preparation or Conviction"

Gangwon-do City and County Prosperity Association, "Even if we win the lawsuit, we can't take a single step forward... Please establish fairness, common sense, and the rule of law properly"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, delivering a greeting at the Gangwon Province Prosperity Association meeting
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, expressed opposition to the Seoraksan Osaek Cable Car project on the previous day (15th), but reversed his stance just one day later amid fierce criticism from pro-cable car public opinion, once again inviting accusations of 'flip-flopping.'

On the 16th, during a visit to the Unification Observatory in Goseong County where he announced his Gangwon-do pledges, candidate Lee said, "It is true that I opposed the Osaek cable car in the past," but added, "If a proper alternative that minimizes environmental damage is established, it is a sufficiently feasible plan."

Earlier, at a meeting with the presidents of the 18 city and county prosperity associations of Gangwon-do, he mentioned, "Installing a cable car on the hiking route would eliminate the rarity of Seoraksan. The cable car route needs to be carefully considered."

In response, Kim Jin-tae, the Special Committee Chair for Public Verification of Lee Jae-myung's Corruption from the People Power Party (Chuncheon Gap Party Committee Chair), pointed out on SNS that "Candidate Lee Jae-myung changed his position on the Seoraksan cable car within a day. Yesterday (15th), he opposed it, but today he backed down saying it is possible if environmental damage is minimized."

He continued, "This clearly shows the level of a candidate who is unprepared and lacks conviction," and directly criticized Lee, saying, "The claim of minimizing environmental damage is meaningless and is an act of mocking the people of Gangwon-do."

Kim also said, "Because of that very reason, the project has been unable to start construction for years and has been stuck, but now no one is fooled anymore," adding, "As public opinion worsens, he pretends to appease, but nothing has changed. If he is going to act like this with an 'if not, then whatever' attitude, why did he even come to Gangwon-do?"

Kim Jin-tae, Chairman of the Special Committee for Public Verification of Lee Jae-myung's Corruption under the People Power Party (Chairman of the Chuncheon Gap Party Committee) Twitter capture

The previous day, he refuted Lee's claims by saying, "It feels like the 40-year-long heartfelt wish of the people of Gangwon-do has been trampled underfoot. Even those in suits welcome visitors to Seoraksan, and nowadays no one smokes in national parks. This cannot be a reason for opposition."

He criticized, "The Ministry of Environment under the Moon Jae-in administration has been blocking construction with absurd reasons such as attaching GPS to mountain goats or conducting bat field surveys," and questioned, "Why is the Mokpo Marine Cable Car okay, but the Seoraksan cable car with exactly six pillars is not?"

Meanwhile, the city and county prosperity association members who attended the meeting with candidate Lee the previous day also delivered a petition to him stating, "The Seoraksan Osaek Cable Car installation project has been stuck in legal battles since 2015. Despite winning all lawsuits, it has not progressed a step due to the Ministry of Environment's abusive administration, causing great frustration," and requested, "Please restore fairness, common sense, and the rule of law system in the Republic of Korea."

The People Power Party Gangwon-do branch criticized in a statement that day, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung's opposition to the Seoraksan Osaek Cable Car has poured cold water on the long-cherished project of 1.5 million Gangwon-do residents. He even made a reckless remark saying, 'I think this might cost me some votes.'"

The People Power Party added, "Candidate Lee changed his words today (16th) saying, 'If environmental damage is minimized, cable car discussions are fully possible,' and as soon as his previous remarks became known, the angry voices of condemnation from the people of Gangwon-do grew louder, so it can only be seen as a change of stance to avoid losing votes," they said in the statement.