Negative Evaluation of Government's First 100 Days
Draws a Line Saying 'No Plans to Form a Party'
[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok said, amid his unresolved conflict with President Yoon Seok-yeol, "(It seems) both the public and I were deceived by (President Yoon)."
On the morning of the 18th, Lee appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' and said, "Seeing the Ulsan meeting or the thumbs-up in the National Assembly, I thought, 'Yes, there might have been some issues, but if the election results are good, this much is acceptable.' Because, as I perceived, the president emphasized a very generous image, so I thought, 'We can naturally overlook such things.' But since that was not the case, it was surprising," he revealed.
He continued, "Of course, I thought, 'We won the election, so would such things happen afterward?'" and added, "The term 'internal stabbing' was shocking at that time. Was I the only one who forgot after the election?"
Regarding President Yoon's comment during his 100-day inauguration press conference, when asked about Lee, that "I was so focused on stabilizing people's livelihoods and national safety that I did not have the chance to properly check what other politicians said politically," Lee pointed out this as a 'problem.' He said, "The President of the Republic of Korea has numerous aides, and the Presidential Secretariat assists the president. Among them, the Chief of Political Affairs' office's main duty is to grasp political relations. If they did not understand such matters at all, it is dereliction of duty by the Chief of Political Affairs. It must be one of two things: either the Chief of Political Affairs did not report such a critical issue, or the president was not interested from the start. Both are somewhat dangerous situations," he criticized.
When asked, "How do you evaluate President Yoon's first 100 days?" Lee answered, "From a broad perspective, when you sell a house, how much it resembles the model house is important. If you visit the model house and see a gold faucet installed, but the delivered one has a rusty faucet, the buyer would be upset," he replied.
Lee also said, "During President Yoon's candidacy, I wonder if people predicted who would be at the forefront when the administration took office. When asked, 'Who do you think will be noticed if the Yoon Seok-yeol government takes power?' Naturally, excluding the president, whose name would come up? I think Lee Jun-seok's name would have been mentioned. But would many have predicted names like Jang Je-won, Lee Cheol-gyu, or Kwon Seong-dong? I believe not many. And it would have been impossible for those I called 'petitioners' to be named," he emphasized.
Regarding 'founding a new party,' he drew a line. When the host asked about 'plans to found a party,' he answered, "None." He explained, "I always say this. Founding a party might rather be done by the other side."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
