YOON SEOK-YOUL GOES PUBLIC

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Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl who is leading in various presidential polls made his first outing to listen to public opinions. He shed tears at the gravesite of a young soldier who died during combat with North Korea and continued his criticism of the government’s nuclear power phase-out policy, moves that are seen as rallying support from his conservative base.

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A former top prosecutor has set out to gather views of the public as a presidential hopeful under the slogan “Yoon Seok-youl will listen.” His first stop was the National Cemetery in Daejeon. He laid flowers at burial sites of soldiers who died in the sunken Cheonan vessel and during the Battle of Yeonpyeong, and shed tears.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(Former Prosecutor-General) : "I vow to build this country that fallen heroes defended with their lives with the values of justice and common sense."

Yoon said that alongside national defense, rewarding patriotism is also important and mentioned the survivors of the Cheonan incident. He then visited the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology or KAIST and met with students majoring in atomic energy related fields. For the second day in a row, Yoon is clearly conveying criticism of the government policy to phase out nuclear energy.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(Former Prosecutor-General) : "Once the ecosystem of the nuclear power sector is ruined, it can’t be restored. This is a critical matter and I hope gov’t policy will change."

Meeting with members of the press in Chungcheongdo province, Yoon said the current administration is going the opposite direction of a balanced national development. He was also asked about an interview his wife held where she rejected some rumors regarding her past.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(Former Prosecutor-General) : "I don’t believe she did anything wrong. I’m sure she had things she wanted to say."

On Wednesday, the former chief prosecutor met with minor opposition People’s Party chair Ahn Cheol-soo. The move indicates talks on consolidating the wider opposition camp may well begin in full swing.