President Yoon Attends Ruling Party Workshop for 2nd Consecutive Year
Fierce Criticism Toward Previous Government and Opposition
"Nation's Guiding Value is 'Ideology'... No Practicality Without Philosophy"
"Opposition Holds Majority in National Assembly... Media Also Controlled by Opposition Forces"
President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 28th likened the previous Moon Jae-in administration to a company, saying, "A company with no funds but hiring many people, having a large number of employees and many ongoing projects, but when you look closely, all the accounting is cooked, and there is nothing solid inside."
Regarding the opposition parties such as the Democratic Party criticizing our government over the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, he raised his voice, saying, "These are people who call science 'science' but say 1 plus 1 equals 100. We have no choice but to fight against these forces."
This is interpreted as a statement aimed at gaining political legitimacy by strongly criticizing the opposition, who have recently clashed over various political issues such as the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, the economy, and historical perspectives.
President Yoon made these remarks while attending the People Power Party's training session in the afternoon, stating, "If we had not joined forces during the last presidential election and taken control of the government, I often have a truly dizzying thought about what would have happened to this country."
After comparing the state to a company, President Yoon said, "Even a small company, if it wants to do well, must honestly report to investors, shareholders, business partners, and creditors or financial institutions that lend money, and must use money very frugally. Isn't there no company that hasn't gone bankrupt when the president has no money but drives a luxury car like a Benz 600?"
He continued, "The government is the same. If the government inflates the budget to gain votes during elections and issues national bonds, the country's finances become a mess, and its external credibility drops," adding, "When you open up the projects one by one, you really wonder if these are substantial, productive projects or if they were just launched to gain votes during elections. The country is on the brink of bankruptcy." He criticized the previous administration. President Yoon has previously criticized the previous government's economic and welfare policies as populism in official settings such as cabinet meetings.
President Yoon also emphasized the importance of ideology. He said, "What is the political orientation of the country and the values the country should pursue? The most important thing is ideology. Not outdated ideology, but a philosophy that can properly lead the country is ideology," adding, "We have been obsessed with outdated, bogus, fraudulent ideology, and regarding that, 'Our party is more practical than ideological,' but basically, there is no practicality without a clear philosophy and direction."
He went on, "Looking closely at national security, the military, public security agencies, law enforcement agencies that must exercise public authority, and our economic policies in detail, these are not flashy but are being built up steadily and solidly, and already one year and three or four months have passed," expressing discomfort by saying, "And now, in the National Assembly, with the ruling party in the minority and the media all controlled by opposition supporters, they criticize our government 24 hours a day." This is interpreted as a remark mindful of recent controversies such as the establishment of the Jeong Yul-seong Park, who composed military songs for China and North Korea, and the relocation of General Hong Beom-do's bust.
Regarding calls for cooperation with the opposition, he mentioned the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water discharge, emphasizing, "The direction a bird flies must be clearly set so that the left and right wings can work together. Conservatives and progressives, left and right, must unite their strength to develop through growth and distribution. If there are strange ideas about the direction of flight, and while we want to move forward, they want to go backward, that cannot be allowed."
President Yoon also urged, "I think we must align all our systems and laws with global standards, boldly discard those that do not conform, and confidently persuade the people about this."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
