"'It Turned into a Verbal Fight' Jin Joong-kwon and Yoo Si-min Criticize Yoon and Lee"

Yoo Si-min "If Yoon Wins, Government Will Summarize 9 Years of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye"
Jin Joong-kwon "Catching Words to Frame Each Other... Social Consensus Cannot Be Achieved"

Former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Chairman Yoo Si-min appeared on the YouTube channel "Das Bweida" hosted by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, which was released on the 28th of last month. Photo by YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Criticism from the political sphere continues toward Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's candidate. Former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation director Yoo Si-min dismissed Yoon's chances of winning the presidency, while former Dongyang University professor Jin Jung-kwon criticized both candidates as political novices.

Recently, the two candidates have been clashing over their views on national security. Yoon criticized Lee's remark that "Ukraine brought the war upon itself," while Lee launched an offensive against Yoon's comments regarding the "entry of Japan's Self-Defense Forces into Korea."

On the previous day (the 1st), former professor Jin said on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu,' "This has basically turned into a verbal fight," adding, "During the debate, when Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung pressed Yoon, he made a slip of the tongue, saying things like Japanese troops are coming in."

He continued, "But the sensitive nature of the issue was overlooked, and he just made a slip of the tongue. However, exaggerating by saying that Japanese troops are entering our country is also problematic," emphasizing, "The United States is trying to form a US-Japan-South Korea alliance system, and opposing it are North Korea, China, and Russia. I believe both positions are possible."

He added, "In this context, our country should engage in productive discussions about which path to take. But instead, they are nitpicking and trying to impose frames on each other. This makes it impossible to reach social consensus," he criticized.

Meanwhile, former director Yoo appeared on the YouTube channel 'Das Bweida' hosted by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, released on the 28th of last month, and was asked, "Are there any concerns about candidate Yoon?" He responded as follows.

Yoo criticized Yoon, saying, "The biggest problem (if Yoon is elected) is one: that a person incapable of handling the job is president," adding, "The president is not alone in that position. When solving problems faced by the people, you find the person with the authority and duty to solve the problem and say, 'You solve this problem. I will help you.' But he is someone who does not know how to have such conversations."

He claimed that if Yoon becomes president, "It will be a government that condenses the nine years of former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye." He continued, "Our society will remain stuck, struggling in place. Regarding North Korea, there will be verbal exchanges like 'Don't mess around,' and with Japan, they will revive the comfort women agreement. People will be able to drink Asahi beer and wear Uniqlo. If people get angry and light candles and go to Gwanghwamun, barricades will be set up," he said.

At the same time, former director Yoo expressed distrust toward the public opinion polls released ahead of the presidential election, saying, "They might all be illusions." He said, "What makes this election interesting is that the approval ratings of Yoon and Lee Jae-myung are the same. Some polls even show them exactly the same down to the decimal point," adding, "These are all just phenomena. So far, polls show only one thing: how enthusiastically People Power Party supporters answer the phone."

He added, "Hundreds of thousands of People Power Party members will answer the calls because in the unification survey, they want their preferred candidate to be chosen," saying, "But the actual public opinion will not be like that. The reason People Power Party is fussing over unification is to get their supporters used to answering calls and create the impression that Yoon is leading, making him the frontrunner."

Meanwhile, former director Yoo was reported to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office by a civic group on charges including false information disclosure. Earlier, on the 24th of last month, he appeared on MBC's 'News Outside' and said, "Lee's strength is his intelligence," adding, "Yoon passed the judicial training institute exam on his ninth attempt when 1,000 were selected, while Lee passed on his second attempt when 300 were selected. There is a big difference in general intelligence."

In response, the Rule of Law Restoration Action Alliance filed a complaint on the 1st, stating, "Former director Yoo disclosed unfavorable false information with the intent to prevent candidate Yoon from winning," accusing him of violating the Public Official Election Act and spreading false information under the Information and Communications Network Act.