Joonseok Lee's Tearful Press Conference
"No Path to Victory Without Changing State Policy"
"President Yoon Must Break the Curse of Silencing Dissent Within the Ruling Party"
Former People Power Party leader Joonseok Lee called on President Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party on October 16 to overhaul their overall governance. Lee even shed tears, arguing that without President Yoon's reform of state affairs, the ruling People Power Party cannot win next year's general elections.
During a press conference at the National Assembly that day, Lee criticized President Yoon and the ruling party's overall governance, urging them to "untie the knot they themselves have tied" (meaning those who caused the problem must resolve it).
Former People Power Party leader Joonseok Lee is shedding tears while discussing current issues, including Marine Corps Corporal Chae and the Seoicho incident, during a press conference at the National Assembly on the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Lee said, "If the president does not change, we will lose next year's general elections," and added, "If the president could win the election without changing his current policies and approach to governance, he would have done so, but no matter how much I think about it, I just don't see a way."
Lee continued, "Over the past two days, I have felt a sense of self-reproach. Every time I appear on broadcasts, I have asked for an apology for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's missteps, and insisted that things can still improve, that we can do well for the next three and a half years. But now, I am no longer confident. I don't understand why we are trying to fight against public sentiment in this situation."
He lamented, "After taking power, the administration spent an entire year trying to imprison the opposition party leader, failed to do so, and then attacked dissenting voices within its own party. Even now, as we lose the support of young people who struggled to support our party and of voters from the Jeolla region, there has been no expression of regret. If things continue this way, won't politics itself become a farce and lose its substance?"
During the press conference, Lee was visibly moved to tears when discussing the investigation into the death of a Marine Corps soldier who died while searching for flood victims without proper equipment. He said, "A prosecutor who once claimed not to be loyal to individuals established the legal precedent that even if the president does not directly receive bribes, the law applies equally to everyone, even at the highest levels, by viewing them as part of an economic community. The determination of Park Junghoon, the Marine Corps investigation chief, to conduct a thorough investigation so that the injustice suffered by a Marine soldier born to parents through IVF at the age of 41 would not be repeated, may most closely resemble that prosecutor's spirit of investigating without sacred cows." As he spoke about the Marine Corps, Lee began to cry, shaking his head in an attempt to compose himself, wiping away tears with his hand, and ultimately struggling to continue speaking as his voice choked with emotion.
Lee also criticized the party for failing to speak out on issues revealed during the Marine Corps investigation, ministerial confirmation hearings, the relocation of the bust of Minister Hong Beomdo, and cuts to the research and development (R&D) budget. He pointed out the prevailing atmosphere within the ruling party that only emphasizes unity with the administration, saying, "You have suppressed all dissenting opinions to the point of being accused of transplanting the culture of prosecutorial unity into politics, yet still claim unity between the party and administration is lacking? We must first cast off the contradictions born from prioritizing ideology over people's livelihoods and focusing on controlling the party rather than on policy."
Assessing the ruling party's crushing defeat in the Seoul Gangseo District mayoral by-election, Lee said, "Every time, we convinced ourselves that Seoul was winnable because support rates for the ruling and opposition parties kept fluctuating, but in reality, citizens without party affiliation thoroughly turned their backs on the ruling party." He added, "The solution to every problem starts with facing reality head-on and being able to speak it aloud. Even after witnessing the public's anger, are you still afraid to say that the president's approach to governance must change, or that the party is no longer simply an organization subordinate to the president?"
Regarding the ruling party's defeat, Lee said, "Do not try to excuse the loss by emphasizing that Gangseo District has many residents originally from Jeolla. Instead, humbly reflect on why the gratitude of those who, after much deliberation, trusted and voted for the conservative party in the presidential and local elections has been wounded and lost under this administration. Rather than focusing on matching red outfits and reporting your achievements after dining together in Gangseo during the by-election, lawmakers should have debated and discussed these livelihood issues. Had they done so, the election results would have been very different."
Lee urged President Yoon to make a decisive move.
He said, "Acknowledge the mistakes made over the past 17 months since taking office. Instead of insincere anonymous interviews by presidential aides, please express your true feelings to the people in your own voice."
Lee continued, "When many things were going wrong during the presidential election, it only took 60 days to turn things around and achieve victory. If the ruling party sincerely reflects on its mistakes, what can we accomplish with the 180 days given to us now? The answer starts with the president's determination and courage."
He also called for open channels of communication within the ruling party to allow for free expression of opinions. Lee warned, "If you do not break the curse you placed on yourself by blocking free expression within the party under the label of 'internal sniping,' no matter how much you pretend to speak freely or to have changed, people will not open up easily, and that curse will haunt the ruling party for as long as the Curse of the Bambino did in baseball."
On this day, Lee also hinted at the possibility of leaving the party. When asked whether he would leave the party if it failed to reflect on its mistakes, Lee replied, "I do not want to discuss my personal course of action today," but added, "At the very least, I hope the conservative administration does not continue down this path. I have had many thoughts over the past two days."
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