Park Jie Won: "Lee Jae Myung Must Make Appointments That Move the People for National Unity"

"Lee Jae Myung Has Matured Personally Over the Past Three Years"

Park Jie Won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, described President Lee Jae Myung, who is beginning his term as the 21st president, as "a president who can surely succeed with appointments and leadership that achieve national unity, just like former President Kim Dae Jung."

Appearing on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun Jung's News Show' on the 4th, Park said, "Over the past three years, President Lee has matured both politically and personally." He added, "His capabilities have improved, and he has grown as a person, so I am confident he will succeed." He further stated, "President Lee must succeed in order to eradicate rebellion and revive the people's livelihood and the economy."

Lee Jae Myung Democratic Party presidential candidate. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Park also emphasized national unity, saying, "President Lee must follow the path of former President Kim Dae Jung." He explained, "At the time, former President Kim appointed Lee Kyu Sung, who had worked in Lee Hoi Chang's camp, as Minister of Finance and Economy, and Lee Hun Jae as Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission, entrusting them with key roles to overcome the IMF foreign exchange crisis." He advised, "Only by making appointments that move the people can national unity be achieved."

Regarding reports that President Lee is seeking to hold a luncheon with the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, Park said, "He must do it." He pointed out, "Why did former President Yoon Suk Yeol fail? Even as the minority ruling party, he did not pursue cooperation. He saw the opposition leader as an enemy or a target for elimination." He stressed, "President Lee must revive politics through cooperation, which is essential for the people's livelihood and the economy, and he should actually engage in more dialogue with the opposition leader than with members of his own Democratic Party."

Park said that President Lee needs a 'honeymoon' period.

He stated, "Since President Lee is starting without a transition committee, didn't he say he would form a National Policy Planning Advisory Committee, like former President Moon Jae In did?" He continued, "Not only should President Lee's pledges be reflected, but also the good pledges proposed by candidates Kim Moon Soo, Lee Jun Seok, and Kwon Young Guk. Once the advisory committee is formed, it will be necessary to filter out pledges that should be discarded and set the direction, so this government will need a significantly longer honeymoon period than any previous administration." He added, "Because there are issues such as ending rebellion, the people's livelihood and economy, diplomacy, and especially a tariff war with U.S. President Trump, the media and the public must cooperate with the Lee Jae Myung administration for at least one year. Only then can the rebellion be resolved."