'CheonjikXX' Poster... "Lee Jun-seok Uploaded It Without Consulting Me"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Cheon Ha-ram, a candidate running in the People Power Party leadership election, criticized candidate Kim Ki-hyun's mention of 'presidential impeachment' as "underestimating the level of party members." He also pointed out the logical flaws in Kim's claim that if a presidential candidate-level figure becomes party leader, it could lead to impeachment. Regarding ruling party presidential contender Minister Han Dong-hoon, he urged, "Parachute nominations are not acceptable," encouraging him to enter politics quickly.
On the 13th, Cheon said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "This is ultimately a sign of impatience, but the words don't quite add up."
He said, "As far as I know, Candidate Kim also has presidential ambitions. When he ran for Ulsan mayor, he openly talked about it," adding, "It would be strange if someone at the level of party leader did not think at all about the presidential election, since the party leader is usually a major leader of the party."
Cheon emphasized, "Wanting to perform well as party leader to leave a good impression on our party members and the public and grow into a presidential candidate is a very healthy ambition," and added, "There is no reason to view it negatively, and realistically, even if Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo or I become party leader, there are still strong presidential candidates who are not party leaders."
He continued, "For example, there is Minister Han Dong-hoon and Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Because of this, the possibility of power shifting sharply to the party leader is low," and criticized, "In such a situation, talking about presidential impeachment, which is hard for party members to sympathize with, is essentially a shallow threat to party members saying, 'If you don't vote for me, the party and the president will be in great turmoil.' I think this underestimates the intelligence of our party members."
Regarding Minister Han, considered one of the ruling party's presidential contenders, Cheon said, "I am willing to make recruitment offers anytime. If he is interested, I welcome it, but if so, I want to tell him to enter politics quickly," adding, "Even for Minister Han, if he delays political activity until the last moment and then receives a parachute nomination, it will cause frustration among many candidates who have been working hard consistently in our party, and that could become another cause of nomination disputes."
About the controversial 'CheonjjikXX' poster, which used sexual expressions, he said, "Former Representative Lee Jun-seok enthusiastically posted it without consulting me," but added, "Nevertheless, I think some people might feel uncomfortable."
He added, "Since former presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo used something similar as official promotional material during the 2017 presidential election, I think Representative Lee Jun-seok might have thought it wouldn't be such a big problem," and said, "Although it is not official material, I will be more attentive as the election progresses."
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