TV Chosun Hosts People's Power Party's First Broadcast Debate
Na, Won, Yoon Focus Intense Attacks on Leading Candidate Han Dong-hoon
Consensus That General Election Would Have Changed If Kim Geon-hee Had Apologized
On the 9th, candidates running for the People Power Party leadership election on July 23 stated that if First Lady Kim Keon-hee had apologized for the luxury bag controversy that arose last January, the general election results would have been different. Candidates Na Kyung-won and Yoon Sang-hyun focused their attacks on candidate Han Dong-hoon, criticizing him for not responding to First Lady Kim's text messages, which they claimed negatively affected the general election. Candidate Han countered by saying that although the election results might have changed if the First Lady had apologized for the luxury bag controversy, "I was informed through various channels that she had no real intention to apologize."
During the first televised debate for the People Power Party leadership candidates held on TV Chosun that afternoon, candidates Na, Won, and Yoon all answered "yes" to the common question, "Do you think the general election results would have been different if the First Lady had apologized to the public?"
Candidate Han said, "The public's judgment in the last general election was due to a combination of various issues where we failed to meet public expectations. This was one of those issues," adding, "I remind you that we demanded an apology to correct this and pointed out that it did not meet the public's standards." Candidate Won added, "The public dislikes it when the power they elect tries to overpower them," and said, "Losing to the public, regardless of whether we did well or poorly, could have been a turning point to humbly approach the people."
Candidate Yoon pointed out, "The First Lady's issue was the biggest one. Even in the last presidential election, she apologized for the false academic background controversy in December, three months before the election. If the First Lady had been willing to apologize, she would have also been willing to apologize for issues like the appointment of former ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-seop. Then the results would have been different." Candidate Na also targeted candidate Han, saying, "The First Lady's apology was a heartfelt wish of all the candidates who were on the ground during the general election," and added, "When the text message issue from January came up recently, everyone must have felt disheartened. It's all about timing, and if she had apologized back then, many things would have been different."
During the debate for control of the discussion, candidate Yoon criticized candidate Han for changing his stance repeatedly regarding his lack of response to the First Lady's messages, saying, "Aren't you a former special prosecutor? Prosecutors immediately issue warrants if a suspect changes their story that much," and added, "To prevent the leadership election from going off track due to the text message controversy, it would be better to apologize with a simple 'I was foolish' and move on."
On the other hand, candidate Han rebutted Yoon's attack by saying, "Changing my words is a lie," and "I was informed through various channels that the First Lady had no real intention to apologize." He continued, "If I had responded privately, it would have led to a nightmare scenario where that response would be made public," and asked, "If you become party leader, will you discuss this with the First Lady via Telegram?"
Candidate Na criticized, "Regardless of public or private matters, isn't the intention of the person involved important here?" and added, "Not listening to the person involved and cutting off communication is a very politically immature decision." In response, candidate Han raised his voice again, saying, "At that time, I had already publicly pointed out that it did not meet the public's standards," and "I was continuously conveying to the presidential office that an apology was necessary. During that process, it was confirmed through multiple channels that the First Lady had no intention to apologize."
Candidate Won, who had launched the most attacks following the First Lady's text message report, said he would comply with the People Power Party's election commission's request to refrain from mentioning the First Lady's allegations and tried to avoid commenting as much as possible. He also avoided commenting on candidate Han's demand for an explanation regarding Won's claim that Han discussed family and party nominations during the general election.
Candidate Han asked candidate Won, "What kind of nomination interference are you talking about?" and Won replied, "Since the party's election commission asked us to stop disputes and start competing on policies and visions, I will stop mentioning it." Han responded, "You lied, didn't you? You shouldn't stop after that, and if you have no evidence, apologize. I'll give you a chance to apologize." Won said, "I promised the election commission, so I intend to cooperate," and did not apologize.
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