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| President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a luncheon with the heads of the ruling People Power Party's regional chapters at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of presidential office |
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized what he called "North Korea sympathizers," claiming that they are neither liberals nor left wing.
During a luncheon with the members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) at the presidential office on Wednesday, Yoon said he will not cooperate with what he called enemies of the Republic of Korea.
He made the remarks when one of the participants advised him that the president shouldn't give in because of "North Korean sympathizers" while mentioning North Korea's recent military provocations.
"There are liberals, moderates and conservatives. There are people who identified themselves in the past as conservative but they have changed since and now they identify themselves as liberals. We can work together with people like them," he was quoted as saying. "But we cannot work together with people who are against democracy, against our country and against the Constitution."
The presidential office said Yoon was saying he has no intention of working with people who try to overthrow the Republic of Korea.
The president used the term "jusa-pa" or followers of North Korea's Juche ideology of self-sufficiency to refer to the hostile factions.
"President Yoon mentioned that a president's No. 1 duty is protecting the nation's integrity," the presidential office said in a statement. "This also means that the president is willing to work together with people of different political orientations as long as they believe in liberal democracy and market economy as opposed to denying them."
Despite the clarification, it remains unclear whether Yoon was indirectly referring to politicians of the so-called 586 generation inside the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) when he used the term "North Korea sympathizers." The term was coined to refer to 50-something people who were born in the 1960s and went to college in the 1980s. The 586 generation politicians inside the DPK are former student protestors who fought against military dictatorships in the 1980s under an anti-American slogan.
Yoon made the remarks as he stood firm against North Korea's continued missile, artillery and other provocations in recent weeks. While condemning the North, Yoon has been stressing that it is important for South Koreans to have a firm belief in the country's free democracy.
Yoon's straightforward comments are seen as part of his efforts to unite conservatives to boost his dismal approval ratings and solidify his political footing within the ruling party, which is anticipated to elect a new chairman early next year.
The PPP members who had lunch with the president on Wednesday are those who ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 National Assembly elections. It's the first time Yoon met with them since he was sworn in as president on May 10.
"As I decided to jump into politics and stand before the public, I made up my mind to devote myself fully to the people," Yoon said. "Let us join forces to propel South Korea once again and build a country where all people can prosper together."
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