Former Presidents Stretching Out One Year Before General Election
Drawing Lines in Politics... Various Interpretations on Impact of General Election
It is the "golden age" of former presidents. Former President Moon Jae-in is actively engaging in external activities, such as becoming a bookstore keeper to meet with supporters and personally watching a documentary about his life.
Former President Lee Myung-bak also appears to be resuming full-scale activities after his pardon by walking along Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, one of his representative achievements. Although they all draw a line from politics, their active activities just over a year before the general election are giving rise to various political interpretations.
On the 15th, former President Lee met with reporters at Cheonggyecheon, accompanied by members of the Seoul city officials' group called "Cheonggyecheon Lovers' Association (Cheongsamo)," who were involved in the Cheonggyecheon restoration project. He expressed support for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, saying, "Since these are difficult times, we need to gather strength. We must enable the president to work."
Cheonggyecheon, along with the Four Major Rivers Project, is considered one of former President Lee's representative achievements. Taking a walk along Cheonggyecheon with the officials who worked on the project is interpreted as a de facto resumption of political activities ahead of the general election. However, when asked about this, former President Lee stated, "I am not interested in the general election. I just hope the country does well," and explained, "I was invited because the officials who participated in the Cheonggyecheon restoration meet every year."
Nevertheless, he made meaningful remarks on sensitive political issues. Regarding calls to dismantle the "Four Major Rivers dams," a major project during his tenure, he said, "Talks about dismantling are political. Our people will protect it." On the diplomatic achievements of President Yoon with Japan, which receive mixed evaluations from ruling and opposition parties, he commented, "Historically, President Yoon is doing well in Korea-Japan relations. He is a courageous person."
Recently, former President Moon has also been increasing his public activities. Last month, he opened a bookstore in Pyeongsan Village, where his residence is located, and began actively working as a bookstore keeper. On the 12th, he watched a documentary film about his life titled "This is Moon Jae-in." Officially, he maintains a stance of "not engaging in politics," but he is increasing remarks and actions that can be politically interpreted, drawing attention.
He is scheduled to visit the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery Management Office on the 17th, becoming the first former president to do so. On the 10th, marking the first anniversary of President Yoon's inauguration, he also met with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. At the meeting, he said, "Dialogue is a kind of duty for politicians. Without dialogue, politics cannot function properly." This remark is interpreted as targeting President Yoon, who has not met with Leader Lee in the past year.
Former President Park Geun-hye made her first outing after the pardon on the 11th of last month, visiting Donghwasa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain in Dong-gu, Daegu. Although there are no official plans for activities yet, a public opinion poll commissioned by the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) local media to the polling agency EveryCNR showed that 30.5% of respondents supported her resumption of political activities, indicating she has some momentum to restart activities.
With two supreme council members of the ruling party resigning and the opposition party facing scandals including the money envelope suspicion and the Kim Nam-guk coin controversy, even calls for Leader Lee Jae-myung's resignation have emerged. Amid leadership risks on both sides and less than a year remaining before the general election, the active activities of former presidents are giving rise to various political interpretations.
In response, "Pro-Moon" lawmaker Yoon Geon-young drew a line on the 11th on MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," saying, "Please do not drag them into the center of politics," and added, "What political resumption? He is just selling books in a rural village."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
