Lee Jun-seok, When Asked About Yoon's Government Performance, Says "25 out of 100 Points"

"We Didn't Sell That Meat... Enduring with Support from People in Their 70s"
Dismisses Possibility of Meeting Yoon, Saying "Practical Talks Are Difficult"
"Won't Hold a Press Conference or Declare Breakup with Yoon Like That"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference on the 13th at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and is answering questions from the press regarding the provisional injunction application related to the party's transition to an emergency response committee system. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok rated President Yoon Seok-yeol's state administration on the 15th as "25 points out of 100." While drawing a line on the possibility of meeting President Yoon, he emphasized that the press conference on the 13th was not a 'breakup declaration' with the president.

On the same day, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and was asked about President Yoon's performance after 100 days in office. He replied, "About 25 out of 100. That’s the Gallup poll figure from last week." He added, "Looking at the detailed figures, young people naively give about 13 points. In Honam, it’s as low as 9. This is not the fish we sold," criticizing the results.

He continued, "We clearly talked about the westward policy and made more efforts than ever. The younger generation felt that they could also have a voice in politics and that their stories were being addressed, so they gave us a lot of support," adding, "What does it mean for people in their 70s to come out and hold on at 40? This is the current situation."

Lee also said, "If it’s about meeting party members and what happened in those three weeks, it’s nothing but the cherry thumbs-up and internal backstabbing messages between President Yoon and floor leader Kwon Seong-dong," and warned, "If you’re going to gossip behind someone’s back, at least don’t get caught. Now it’s become irreversible."

When asked if he could meet President Yoon to hear explanations about the exposure of internal backstabbing messages, he said, "I’m not desperate to meet political leaders, and it would be difficult to have a substantive conversation," adding, "If the president says something now, it will be followed by interpretations, and I do not wish for any expression of regret from him. The president of the Republic of Korea should not act like that," dismissing the possibility.

However, regarding whether the press conference on the 13th was a breakup declaration with President Yoon, he said, "If it were a breakup declaration, I wouldn’t do it like this. There was nothing harsh in the content," cautioning against overinterpretation by saying, "It was a correction of some facts and a sincere self-reflection on the accusation that I sold dog meat."