"Yoon Seems to Have Been Baptized in New Right Consciousness"
"Moon Should Respond Politely to Yoon's Remarks"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has received evaluations that he has fallen short of expectations on the occasion of his first anniversary in office. Meanwhile, Yoo In-tae, a senior member of the Democratic Party and former Secretary General of the National Assembly, gave a low assessment of his past year, saying, "There is nothing to score." He also criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks at the retreat, saying, "It seems like he has been baptized with New Right consciousness."
On the 30th, Yoo, a former Secretary General, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "I believe the representative who came out was not supposed to be the representative from the start," expressing this view.
He was offered the position of emergency committee chairman of the Democratic Party after the party's defeat in last year's local elections but declined, criticizing Lee's bid for party leadership by saying, "It is better for him not to run for his own sake."
When asked by the host whether it was impossible to score his first-year performance, Yoo said, "Yes," adding, "There is nothing to score." He said, "At that time, there was a by-election in Gyeyang held simultaneously with the local elections, and the Gyeyang member of the National Assembly ran for Seoul mayor, which further abandoned the local elections. Even if he was the leader, the person who should have taken responsibility and stepped down should have done so. It is hard to understand politically that he continued as the leader."
He also pointed out limitations in leadership over the past year. Yoo said, "As expected, the judicial risk kept following him during that year. Despite the Yoon Suk-yeol administration not receiving much support, the Democratic Party's support was also low. Moreover, when morally problematic incidents such as money envelopes and coins occurred within the party, the response showed significant limitations in leadership."
At a Democratic Party workshop held earlier, contrary to expectations, there was reportedly little discussion about Lee's position. Yoo said, "The judicial risk seems imminent, and all the lawmakers are curious about what Lee will do. But would they openly discuss that there?"
He also criticized President Yoon's remarks at the ruling party retreat, such as "Ideology as philosophy is important" and "Those who say 1 plus 1 equals 100 regarding contaminated water." Yoo said, "I think President Yoon was belatedly baptized with New Right consciousness," adding, "Although he tries to do well, his low approval ratings seem to mix resentment toward the world."
Yoo said, "He seems to be resentful, thinking, 'I'm working so hard, what did I do wrong that my approval rating is this low and the world doesn't recognize me?' It looks like he thinks all those who don't support him are anti-state forces."
President Yoon also sparked controversy by comparing the Moon Jae-in administration to a "company on the verge of collapse" at the retreat. In response to the host's question about whether former President Moon would make a comeback, Yoo said, "He can't just stay still, but the people now know about President Yoon's remarks. I hope they respond more gracefully. There's no need to unnecessarily amplify it."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
