Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Mi-ae said on Sept. 28 that party leader Kim Min-seok "needs to talk less and moderate the intensity of his remarks a little more." Her point was that Kim should focus more on his role as a partner in the Lee Jae-myung administration's governance than as the party's attacker.
Speaking on BBS Radio that day, Lim said, "Leader Kim Min-seok seems to have a great deal of will to get things done, but getting things done and talking a lot seem to be somewhat different." She added, "If a politician tries to display their clarity of position by speaking too forcefully, or tries to express their will through words alone, it does not last long. The public catches on quickly." She also said, "There is such a thing as the standing of a party leader. Playing the role of a front-line striker is not appropriate."
Lim made clear that what Kim should focus on is supporting the Lee Jae-myung administration. Asked about Kim's role, she said it was "carrying out, a little more quietly, the things that can back up the president's governance achievements at the party level." She explained, "There are also supporters who were hurt during the party convention process, and it is necessary to take steps toward unity far more actively."
Lim continued, "If it were one of the supreme council members, I think it would be necessary to speak up energetically about our party's positions and to engage in debate over misguided views from other parties." But she added, "Does that have to be the leader? I don't think so."
Meanwhile, on the Lee Jae-myung administration's farmland survey, Lim said it "had the effect of pouring fuel on the decline in farmland prices." It was not the direct cause, she said, but it did fan the flames of falling farmland prices. Lim placed responsibility for the problem with the minister, however. She said, "The president was questioning the minister about problems in the rural field that had persisted for a long time," adding, "In that case, the minister should have given more thought to how to resolve this on the ground, discussed it with experts, and then moved the work forward." She added, "The way the minister took up the president's concerns and handled the matter was not very desirable."
