ED Revealing true intention
Yoon hit for backbiting suspended party chief
Speaking ill of others behind their backs is not the right thing to do, particularly for those who value public trust the most. So political leaders need to learn what to say and what not to utter. If they don't, their days could be numbered. Yet it still seems difficult for them to maintain their dignity by using refined expressions.
The latest example of such difficulties is President Yoon Suk-yeol's use of backbiting expressions against Lee Jun-seok, the suspended chief of the ruling People Power Party (PPP). The episode took place Tuesday when a text conversation between Yoon and Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the acting chairman and floor leader of the PPP, was caught on camera by a journalist.
Yoon said in a text message to Kweon, “Our party is doing a good job … It has made a difference since the replacement of the party chair who used to shoot ourselves.” The message appeared to reflect Yoon's perception of Lee, whose party membership was suspended for six months from July 8 over his attempt to cover up sexual bribery allegations.
The use of the slandering words was seen as revealing the president's true intention about Lee who has been at odds with Yoon over a set of issues, such as how to nominate a presidential candidate and how to run the campaign headquarters. Yoon might have tried to congratulate Kweon, one of his closest confidants, on assuming the acting chairmanship while taking a swipe at Lee.
The prosecutor general-turned-president apparently implied that he wants to see Lee, the young, inexperienced PPP chairman, step down after the suspension of his party membership. The episode demonstrated that the core member of the pro-Yoon faction in the PPP won the power struggle against Lee and his supporters. This raises a question about whether Yoon has been deeply involved in the factional strife.
The conflict between Yoon and Lee has escalated further. Yoon's text message was more than an insult to Lee, a 37-year-old Harvard graduate who became the party leader in June 2021 to save the PPP which was still reeling from the aftermath of the 2017 impeachment of Park Geun-hye.
Lee did not hesitate to express his displeasure. He quoted a four-character Chinese idiom meaning a vendor selling dog meat while displaying a sheep's head on the shelf. Lee must have felt betrayed after he steered the party toward victory in the March 9 presidential poll and the Jun 1 local elections.
Choi Young-bum, senior presidential secretary for public relations, expressed regret over the incident. However, it was not enough to undo Yoon's defaming text message. It would be better for Yoon to apologize for what he said. The episode cannot and should not be dismissed as a case that private texts were revealed against Yoon or Kweon's will. It is nonsense to argue that privacy should be protected. Yoon and his inner circle should take the episode more seriously and change themselves to end the dog-eat-dog power struggle and embrace their political rivals.