'Chinyun' Lee Cheol-gyu "Concerns over weakening governance if Ahn becomes leader"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee Cheol-gyu, a member of the People Power Party classified as 'Pro-Yoon (親尹)', launched a fierce attack, saying that if Ahn Cheol-soo becomes the party leader, there is a high possibility that the power of state affairs will be weakened.

On the 3rd, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus', in response to the host's question, "Do you think there is a possibility that state affairs will be weakened if Ahn becomes the party leader?" Lee said, "There is such a concern." He had previously criticized Ahn on his social media, accusing him of 'exploiting Yoon's heart (尹心)'.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, is registering as a candidate for party leader at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He also criticized Ahn's claim of the 'Capital Region Representation Theory.' Lee said, "With next year's election ahead, the idea that if I become the leader, there will be expansion and victory in the election, and if I don't, the election will be lost and it will head toward contraction, is something I cannot agree with," adding, "Because then, how many elections has our leader Ahn run? Has the faction centered around Ahn won elections? The answer is no."

Ahn ran as the People's Party candidate in the 2017 presidential election but was defeated, and also placed third in the 2018 Seoul mayoral election. Lee said, "Expansion means that the policies promoted by the party or the party itself responsibly leads the country, for example, when the ruling party leads state affairs, expansion occurs and support increases," adding, "Support increasing and expanding due to one specific individual is not the case."

He also claimed that President Yoon Seok-yeol was greatly disappointed during his time as the transition committee chairman due to Ahn's 'disappearance.' When asked by the host if President Yoon expressed disappointment, Lee said, "When a person reaches this age in life, isn't it the same for everyone?" and "At that age, when you see certain behavior, the evaluation of that behavior is generally similar."

Regarding recent criticism that President Yoon dismissed former lawmaker Kim Young-woo, who was serving as the election campaign committee chairman for Ahn's camp, from the National Unity Committee as 'interference in the presidential primary,' Lee countered, "Who would be trying to constantly drag the president into the primary battlefield and gain a reflective benefit from it?"

He added, "I also did not know that former lawmaker Kim was a member of the National Unity Committee. If you are serving on the president's direct National Unity Committee, it is a desirable judgment not to take a responsible position in the election."

Regarding the analysis that the attacks on Ahn by Lee and other Pro-Yoon factions are 'checks and balances,' Lee denied it completely, saying, "That is not the case at all." He then mentioned the issue of 'debts from the merger process.' He said, "When merging, (People Power Party) inherited the People's Party's debts, but the way the debt was settled was really unacceptable, and as a party member, I thought, is that all the empathy you have?" He criticized the fact that during the merger, Ahn personally lent 800 million won to the party, which was recorded as debt, and that People Power Party demanded repayment of the debt and received the principal and interest.