On the Morning of the 16th, Appeared on MBC Radio to Clarify His Position
Regarding the 'Private Meeting' with President Yoon Seok-yeol, He Claimed It Was a "Lee Jun-seok's Operation to Make Him a Liar"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok said he rejected a mediation proposal for voluntary resignation from the Blue House.
On the morning of the 16th, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and was asked, "There was a report last month that a mediation proposal coordinating the timing of voluntary resignation was exchanged with the presidential side. Is that true?" He replied, "Someone mentioned that, and I rejected it outright. That's all."
Lee explained, "I told them not to even talk about such things outright. Someone keeps leaking things like 'it went back and forth' like that," adding, "In the current situation, discussing these matters is bound to cause misunderstandings, and fundamentally, there is no trust. If I showed even a little interest, people would say Lee Jun-seok is negotiating."
When the host asked, "Was the person who proposed this conveying the will of the Blue House?" Lee answered, "There were several parties involved." He added, "I deliberately avoid meeting people. It's the same with Representative Joo Ho-young; I avoid meeting on purpose because if I meet, they might make such strange proposals."
Lee also said, "I tell people around me who help me not to convey anything," explaining, "I'm worried that after passing on strange things, they might say, 'Lee Jun-seok negotiated this'."
Regarding the disciplinary action by the Ethics Committee, Lee believed there was a 'political judgment.' He emphasized, "I think there was a political judgment at the point when they decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings again after initially deciding not to start them."
However, when asked whether the Blue House was the subject of this political judgment, Lee did not give a definitive answer. To the question, "Is the Blue House the subject of the political judgment?" he replied, "There are not many people in South Korea who can make political judgments about the ruling party leader. But I won't make hasty predictions about that."
Lee also gave a detailed explanation about reports on his private meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol that day. He said, "After the report about the private meeting came out, the Blue House responded that 'there was no dinner.' I actually confirmed with the Blue House," adding, "I told them that if they deny the meeting, I would deny it too, and if they confirm it, I would confirm it to align with them."
He continued, "Then they finalized their position as 'there was no dinner.' I thought that meant they acknowledged the meeting, so I stayed silent, but the next day they said, 'There was no meeting either,'" and claimed, "They let me do whatever they wanted, but in the end, it turned into a strategy to make Lee Jun-seok look like a liar."
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