The Real Reason Assembly Member Baek Hyunjin Openly Criticized Representative Lee Junseok

Baek Hyunjin "Innovation Committee May Be Misunderstood as a Trivial Private Organization" Direct Criticism of Lee

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, who launched the party Innovation Committee saying "I will properly engage in my own politics," faced direct opposition from Bae Hyun-jin, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party.

According to Yonhap News and others, on the 13th at a closed Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Council member Bae criticized Lee, saying, "The party Innovation Committee could be misunderstood as a petty private organization. Which lawmaker would step forward to participate?"

Bae pointed out that when the Innovation Committee was decided to be launched at the Supreme Council meeting on the 2nd, 'nomination reform,' which was not discussed at the time, was suddenly inserted by Lee as a major agenda item. The 'petty private organization' mentioned by Bae was also a term Lee used when he opposed the launch of 'Mindeulle' (tentative name), a lawmakers' group centered around the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction.

Bae's direct criticism of Lee seems to reflect the critical public opinion within the party toward Lee. Recently, Lee had a verbal exchange with Chung Jin-seok, the National Assembly Deputy Speaker and the most senior lawmaker in the party, which drew criticism as "inappropriate."

Earlier, Lee held a press conference at the National Assembly on the anniversary of his party leadership and said, "Many people talk to me about self-politics, but now I will properly engage in my own politics," adding, "To create the world I want to achieve, the policies I believe are right, and the party I think is right, I will reflect my opinions a lot. The color of my opinions will become stronger."

On the same day, in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lee revealed his Innovation Committee plan and emphasized the need for reform regarding nomination rules, saying, "There are unwritten rules, and cut-off regulations, the process of compressing primaries, and these have often been conducted very incoherently under the name of political judgment. These cause conflicts in nominations."

Regarding the criticism that the Innovation Committee could become Lee's private organization, Cheon Ha-ram, the appointed 'No. 1 Innovation Committee member' and head of the People Power Party's Suncheon Gap district in Jeollanam-do, dismissed the concern in an interview with BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' on the 14th, saying, "Just because the Innovation Committee discusses nominations doesn't mean it becomes Lee's private organization. If the Innovation Committee carries out baseless reforms, the next party leader can just come and overturn them."