Song Young-gil Departing for France: "Party's Lee Jae-myung Resignation Talk? ... Cannot Succumb to the Picture Created by the Prosecution"

President Yoon: "A Prosecutor-Background President Is Only Doing What He Does Well"
Daejang-dong Suspicion Must Ultimately Be Resolved by Special Prosecutor
"Lee Jae-myung Should Meet Party Lawmakers and Actively Explain the Suspicion"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil said on the 30th, "People tend to do what they are good at," adding, "Just like everyone talks about their military service after returning from the army, since a former prosecutor became president, it seems he only does what he is good at." Regarding some within the party's call for Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, who is facing judicial risks, to step down to avoid burdening the party, he clearly opposed, saying, "We cannot succumb to the picture created by the prosecution."

Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, is expressing his concession at the election campaign office set up in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On the same day, Song appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' and was asked to evaluate the overall situation in Korea. In response to the question, "(President Yoon) Is what he is good at arresting people?" he said, "Yes," adding, "He arrests and detains. Prosecutors in the criminal division are trained to objectively verify investigations conducted by the police from a third-party perspective, but special prosecutors draw their own picture. They recognize, plan, investigate, and create the picture themselves, so this training has a very dangerous aspect."

Regarding the allegations related to the Daejang-dong development scandal, Song said, "I think the right answer is to leave it to a special prosecutor as Lee suggested and focus the political sphere on people's livelihood," adding, "It would have been better if Lee Jae-myung had proposed a special prosecutor immediately after becoming party leader, but although it is a bit late, I think doing so now is the right answer."

Regarding concerns about judicial risks for Lee and the internal party calls for him to step down as party leader, he said, "We cannot succumb to the picture created by the prosecution," adding, "In fact, the Yoon Seok-youl government and the ruling party's plan is to divide the Democratic Party. Since the People Power Party is also facing division, this is a preemptive attack to prevent that division."

About Lee, he said, "I hope he acts more boldly and courageously," adding, "I think it is necessary for the leader to communicate frequently with the 169 members of the National Assembly, have meals in groups of 10 or 20 every morning, encourage and support the members from behind so that they can be active."

He also emphasized that Lee should better explain the allegations raised by the prosecution. Song said, "(The lawmakers) do not know well," adding, "If they don't know, it's hard to react, so I think it would help to explain the background of the situation, even matters that cannot be disclosed to the media, to help the lawmakers empathize and understand, so they can act more strongly."

Song also predicted that the People Power Party would eventually split. He said, "Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min is currently the number one in party leader approval ratings," adding, "If the People Power Party changes its rules and forcibly excludes Yoo Seung-min to create a party centered on Yoon's core aides (Yoonhaekgwan), that party will probably break apart." He also forecasted, "If the president's approval rating stays in the 30% range like this, calls for the president to leave the party will inevitably arise."

On December 1st, I will go to Paris, France. I plan to stay for about seven months as a visiting research professor at ESCP Business School (Paris Graduate School of Management).