Lee Jun-seok "They say the presidential election almost lost because of me... Ignoring public sentiment"

Kim Woong "The claim that the Imjin War was almost lost because of Chungmugong"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok criticized Kim Ki-hyun, the party leader candidate of the People Power Party, who said he almost lost the presidential election because of Lee, saying "Ignoring data, ignoring public sentiment, ignoring reality."

On the 16th, the former leader said through his social media (SNS), "The person who said they almost lost the presidential election because of Lee Jun-seok is simply ignoring data, ignoring public sentiment, and ignoring reality."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This was a rebuttal to Kim's earlier interview with a media outlet where he said he almost lost the presidential election because of Lee. He also shared a poll result showing that 34% of the public credited him as the top contributor to President Yoon Suk-yeol's victory.

Lee said, "The basic principle of politics is to accurately diagnose the situation and come up with appropriate solutions. Diagnosis is difficult, and so are solutions." He then directly criticized Kim, saying, "But someone who cannot even interpret and diagnose what happened in the first place is unlikely to properly diagnose the ever-changing upcoming general election."

He added, "'Saying you almost lost the presidential election because of Lee Jun-seok' and then claiming you led it yourself?what kind of nonsense is this?" He continued, "For the local elections, I gave you the courtesy of making you a co-chairman of the campaign committee, so let's not stab each other in the back."

Kim Woong, a People Power Party lawmaker aligned with the pro-Lee Jun-seok faction, also responded, saying, "'Saying you almost lost the election because of Lee Jun-seok' is like saying 'We almost lost the Imjin War because of Admiral Chungmugong.'" He questioned, "If the former leader was not helpful in the election, would so many candidates have asked him to come during the local elections?"