Former prosecutor-general’s presidential bid facing challenges

Jun 21, 2021, 08:09 am

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Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl attends an opening ceremony of a Seoul park on June 6, 2021./ Photographed by Song Ui-joo (songuijoo@)

AsiaToday reporter Jo Jae-hak

Former Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, who has been a powerful presidential hopeful in the opposition bloc, is facing a series of challenges such as abrupt resignation of his spokesperson and “x-file” controversy, even before his official bid for the presidency. While the ex-prosecutor-general is hesitating, state audit agency’s chief Choi Jae-hyung appears to be rapidly emerging as an alternative. In the ruling bloc, observers say former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Kim Dong-yeon, a potential candidate for president, is gearing up to announce his presidential bid by publicly taking part in volunteer activities.

According to the political circles on Sunday, the controversy surrounding the so-called “Yoon Seok-youl X-file” mentioned by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil is growing within the opposition bloc. Jang Seong-cheol, a conservative political critic, revealed on his social media account Saturday that he had obtained the file about speculations involving the former prosecutor-general and his wife, and said, “It will be difficult for Yoon to defend.” Jang deleted the post, but as it is an evaluation from within the conservative bloc, the incident has become big news.

As controversies are growing, Kim Jae-won, a People Power Party (PPP) Supreme Council member, said Sunday that Song should reveal the contents of the file he claims to have obtained, while urging the former prosecutor-general to clarify any allegations if he has to. “If Song reveals the X-file, Yoon must explain it in detail,” Song wrote on his social media account. “If there is a legal problem, he should be punished and apologize. Yoon never responded to Song’s claims, but he is now forced to respond to Jang’s revelations,” he added.

The sudden resignation of Yoon’s spokesperson Lee Dong-hoon is also a bad news for the former prosecutor-general. Lee’s resignation came just 10 days after his appointment. He stepped down Sunday for “personal reasons,” but political watchers say Lee’s resignation seems to be due to disagreements with Yoon over issuing messages on his future political activities.

During a radio interview on Friday, Lee said Yoon would join the main opposition PPP. Shortly after however, Lee sent a text message to reporters backtracking on his words and delivering a new message that Yoon remained “prudent’ on the matter of joining the PPP. The spokesperson referred to Yoon’s entering the party, but Yoon directly denied it.

Yoon is expected to make an official announcement of his presidential bid around June 27. Yoon suffered a heavy blow with the resignation of the spokesperson even before his official political activities.

While Yoon is facing a series of challenges, other potential presidential candidates including Chief Auditor General Choi and former Deputy Prime Minister Kim are taking steps toward presidential candidacy.

At a plenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee on Friday, Choi was pointed out that there may be a problem with political neutrality to register as a presidential candidate immediately after completing his duties. “I think there are various judgements about that,” he responded. “There are many rumors and speculations in the media and in the political circles. I will reveal my thoughts soon,” he said. Political watchers say that his remarks indicate the possibility of presidential bid.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Kim is working hard for the public interest after establishing the Joyful Rebellion Foundation. He provided free meals to the homeless at Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral in Seoul, making his first official move. When a reporter asked if he is considering to join the PPP, he answered, “It is not the right time to talk about it.” However, he did not deny whether he would prepare for presidential bid.

#Yoon Seok-youl #Choi Jae-hyung #Kim Dong-yeon #presidential bid