"Can We Win a Nationwide Election Even After Losing in Seoul?"
"Responsibility Shifted to Moon Without an Official Presidential Election Review"
"Only by Gaining the People's Choice Can the Judgment of Yoon Be Complete"
Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff at the Presidential Office, made a harsh critique of the Democratic Party of Korea while referring to the results of the recent presidential election.
On the 3rd, Im opened his remarks on his social media account by saying, "A common difficulty among those who advocate progressivism is the blind belief that the difference between right and wrong will be directly reflected in the results, or an unrealistic perception that the difference in results must be significant." He argued, "In a world mixed with right and wrong and different things, if the opponent does their best, the results can be similar, and if our weaknesses stand out, the results can be overturned. This is the reality," adding, "It is also the essence of the democratic system agreed upon by our society."
Im then reflected on the last presidential election, saying, "The opponent put forward a young representative in their 30s, recruited a presidential candidate from outside, and even made a last-minute unification effort, putting in all their strength." He recalled, "Were we equally desperate? We lost by 0.73%, 247,077 votes. In Seoul alone, we lost by 310,766 votes." He continued, "Can the Democratic Party win a nationwide election even if it loses in Seoul? Candidates Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in all won overwhelmingly in Chungcheong. Why did candidate Lee Jae-myung lose in Chungcheong?" He questioned, "Were we also earnest and proactive in integration and solidarity? Did we have pledges like relocating the administrative capital?"
Im Jong-seok pointed out, "The Democratic Party did not conduct an official evaluation of the presidential election. More precisely, it could not do so," explaining, "Because just two months later, candidate Lee Jae-myung ran for office in Gyeyang, Incheon, and two months after that, he became the party leader." He also criticized, "The political responsibility for the defeat was shifted to the Moon Jae-in administration, and even now, they blame the Moon administration. They have turned a blind eye to the fact that President Moon’s approval rating was over 40% at the end of his term and that his government was the only one in history without a lame-duck period." He emphasized, "Even now, we must start with an objective evaluation and reflection on the last presidential election. Only by fully accepting that candidate Lee Jae-myung was lacking and that the party’s strategy was absent will the path to victory become clear." Finally, he added, "The Democratic Party must earn the people’s choice for the judgment of Yoon Seok-youl to be complete. This time, I hope we are more desperate."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
