Lee: "A President Must Appoint Competent People to the Right Positions"
Hong to Lee: "We Should Learn from Lula... Need for Left-Right Integration in Governance"
Lee Jaemyung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, referred to former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo as "an excellent person" and suggested, "Wouldn't it be good to work together?" This implies the possibility that, if elected president, Lee could work with former Mayor Hong, potentially including him in the next administration's cabinet.
On May 10, Lee met with reporters in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, and said, "The president's job is to achieve results and receive positive evaluations by appointing competent and loyal people to the right positions, regardless of their background, for the sake of a better country and better livelihoods for the people. Wouldn't it be good if excellent people like former Mayor Hong could join us in that process?"
Lee stated, "While the process of becoming president inevitably involves leaning toward one side, from the moment you become president, you must represent everyone. There is no need to distinguish between left and right, no need for labels, and especially, you must not divide people into 'us' and 'them.'"
Earlier that day, Lee visited Changnyeong, the hometown of former Mayor Hong, and revealed, "I spoke with former Mayor Hong on the phone a few days ago."
Lee explained, "During our call, we shared concerns about the serious undermining of democracy." He added, "Former Mayor Hong said we should learn from Lula, who has an 85% approval rating, and suggested that if we govern without dividing between left and right, and focus solely on the country and national interests, we can achieve results and become a successful president with high approval ratings."
Meanwhile, during his listening tour to hear public opinion in the Yeongnam region, Lee met Kim Jangha, the protagonist of the documentary 'Adult Kim Jangha.' Kim was also a sponsor of former Constitutional Court Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyungbae during his student days.
When Lee remarked, "Your comment that a noisy minority shakes the quiet majority really resonates with me," Kim replied, "The flower of democracy is the principle of majority rule, but that principle is collapsing." When Kim said, "The problem is that people must know how to accept the outcome, but they are not accepting the results," Lee responded, "That's the problem. In a society where we live together, if we don't accept the outcome, the only thing left is conflict."
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