"My longest-serving chief of staff and the Democratic Party's strategic commander for suppressing internal strife, Rep. Chun Jun-ho."
(Representative Lee Jae-myung X Message 2024.
12.
28)

Lee Jae-myung's suffering and determination, and the resonance of his honest record.
"Testimony of the Times" by Chun Jun-ho, who spent time with Lee Jae-myung at close range.
A "Record of the Times" on Lee Jae-myung, the National Tool

“I can say it now.” Rep. Chun Jun-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gangbuk-gu, Seoul) has published an essay titled “Lee Jae-myung’s Time: A Record of Lee Jae-myung, the People’s Tool,” about the three years he spent with President Lee Jae-myung and the human struggles and political leadership that were unknown to the world.

The author, Rep. Chun Jun-ho, said to Lee Jae-myung, "My longest-serving chief of staff and the commander of the Democratic Party's internal rebellion suppression strategy (Lee Jae-myung, Representative X Message 2024.
12.
28) was called.
Rep. Chun Jun-ho, who was closest to then-party leader Lee Jae-myung, calmly came forward as a witness to the times about Lee Jae-myung's intense time.
For Lee Jae-myung, it was the most painful time, a time of confrontation with the state power that had become a "prosecution republic," a time of trials and perseverance that he had to overcome against the enormous force of "the demonization of state power and the resulting hatred," a "record of the times" and a "testimony of the times" about those dark times.

On the contrary, I was a lucky person.
The fact that I was able to watch Lee Jae-myung.
Watching someone endure hardship and adversity, standing together on that path and walking in the same direction.
Even during those difficult times, I was able to learn more from him than at any other time in my life, seeing him solve various difficult problems without losing his dignity and responsibility as a leader.
…I thought it was my duty to record, even if roughly, that time, memories, and experiences.
Because it could be a very important scene in Korean political history, and a moment that has a great impact on the lives of our people.
So, I tried to organize this book in an easy-to-read format so that at least one more person can read it and get to know Lee Jae-myung.

--- From "Prologue: Now is Lee Jae-myeong's time"

Actually, I was a little cautious when making this suggestion.
Because I couldn't be sure how the public would perceive the story about candidate Lee Jae-myung's family history.
However, candidate Lee Jae-myung also seemed determined to honestly tell everyone about his family history and seek their understanding.
That's how the famous 'Sangdaewon Market Speech' was born.
--- From "Time of Reversal, Speech by the Market Leader"

I received a call from Representative Lee Jae-myung just before the final announcement of the party leadership election results in August 2022.

“Congressman Chun, I would like you to serve as my chief of staff.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Although it was an unexpected offer, I accepted the request without much hesitation.
Frankly, it was not easy to refuse because he was a presidential candidate and a party leader with overwhelming support from party members.
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Decision-Making Process"

Looking back, it seems that during the nearly three years I held the important positions of Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Strategy and Planning Committee, Representative Lee Jae-myung assigned and utilized my role within the leadership meeting structure.
They placed me in a position where I could inject tension and counter-argument into leadership meetings, which tend to make decisions without discussion or lean in one direction.
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Decision-Making Process"

“Thank you for being by my side, sir.”
At that moment, the tip of my nose stung.
And I thought to myself:
'This person is really having a hard time right now.'
It was an awkward gesture, and a short speech, but I knew I had expressed myself to the best of my ability.
I should have responded with something cool back then, but I remember just staring out the windshield without saying anything.
If that day comes again, I would say, 'Thank you for enduring so well, sir.
I really want to tell you, 'Cheer up.'
--- From "He suddenly raised his hand?"

The prosecution's investigation was truly harsh.
The national public power was mobilized to the fullest extent.
The prosecution's pressure and attacks on Representative Lee Jae-myung took various forms every single day.
The prosecution even set up an office inside the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building and conducted searches and seizures under the pretext of investigating suspicions of corporate credit card misuse during the governor's tenure.
This was also a first in judicial history.
--- From "Becoming a Target of the Prosecutor's Republic"

The problem starts after that.
When Representative Lee Jae-myung becomes embroiled in suspicions about a certain incident, is investigated by the prosecution, and appears in the media, regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, the perception that "Lee Jae-myung is a criminal" will be created among people.
It's like being branded as some unscrupulous criminal of all time.
Even if the case ends with no charges, the prosecution has achieved its goal by fully utilizing the investigation process to demonize Lee Jae-myung.
Even if you are indicted and found not guilty, you will have to appear in court for at least 2 to 3 years and end up in a state of total disarray.
At the same time, they are summoning and searching people around Lee Jae-myung and harassing them.
Attorney Lee Tae-hyung says his clients were also subjected to searches and seizures.
--- From "How was Lee Jae-myung demonized?"

“I understand how it feels to make a terrible choice.”
“Sir, what are you thinking about right now?”
“It’s so hard to think that other people or parties could be harmed because of me.”
“Don’t say that! No, don’t even think about it in your dreams.
You have to be determined and overcome it.
Why do you have such useless thoughts?!”
I was very surprised to hear that at the time.
It was so heartbreaking and heartbreaking.

--- From "Thinking about 'No Right to Prosecute'"

“Food…”
“Why isn’t there such a saying?
They say that friendships are formed at the dinner table.
“I don’t think there’s anything that brings people closer together than eating together.”
"is it so.
“Let’s make some space.”
In this way, Representative Lee Jae-myung repeatedly met with lawmakers who were critical of him or who supported candidate Lee Nak-yeon during the last presidential primary, either individually or in small groups, and made efforts to communicate by scheduling lunches or dinners together.

--- From "Selling Out the Party Leader"

“What are you going to do?”
“You have to fight with your life on the line.
Even if you stay still, you will die anyway.
Rather than that, you should fight with the determination to die.”
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Death and Rebirth"

The fast was not broken until the 24th day.
On the 22nd day of the hunger strike, the National Assembly passed the arrest warrant, so now it was time to prepare for the substantive examination of the warrant.
Representative Lee Jae-myung's 24-day hunger strike was recorded as the longest hunger strike by an opposition party leader in Korean political history.
Former President Kim Young-sam went on a hunger strike for 23 days to protest against the dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan.
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Death and Rebirth"

At that moment, there was a bang!
At first I thought the man had punched me.
But when I looked at the representative who had collapsed behind me, blood was gushing from his neck.
I stopped the bleeding right away without thinking about it.
The scene turned into chaos in an instant.
--- From "Crossing the Line and Returning"

I'm usually pretty calm, but I was so flustered at the time that I couldn't think of anything.
I just prayed earnestly that the representative's life would be spared.
--- From "Crossing the Line and Returning"

The police did not even release the terrorist's identity.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency's Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee has decided this.
This is because the brutality of the incident and the public's right to know are not met, and the disclosure requirements are not met.
How can this not fulfill the people's right to know when this is a serious incident where the leader of the main opposition party almost lost his life in a terrorist attack?

--- From "Assassination Terrorism: Why Should It Be Reinvestigated?"

“Mr. President, I can now speak…”
President Lee Jae-myung looked at me with a fake nervous smile.
“Honestly, when I was Chief of Staff, I liked it best when the President went to court about twice a week.”
The president and the members of the assembly present looked at me with puzzled expressions, wondering, "What are you talking about?"
“Back then, I was able to live comfortably because I had some free time.
“Perhaps the people in the Presidential Office are feeling similarly right now.”
Then everyone present burst into laughter.

--- From "Now I Can Speak"

Representative Lee Jae-myung's personnel philosophy is not biased toward any particular person or faction.
Rather, there is a clear pragmatic tendency to place talents with diverse styles and abilities in the right positions.
Going one step further, we are proactive in placing people with different tendencies and voices than ourselves.
If we have the ability, we try to create tension and variety through intentional placement.
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Tolerance"

'We must gather at the National Assembly now.'
Immediately after martial law was declared, a directive was presented stating, "We must gather at the National Assembly."
As the chairman of the party's strategic planning committee, I responded as I had imagined and prepared for martial law.
Representatives Kim Seong-hoe, Heo Young, Choi Min-hee, Kim Yong-min, Kim Jun-hyeok, Kwon Hyang-yeop, Park Sang-hyeok, Bok Gi-wang, Kim Young-jin, Baek Hye-ryeon, Jeong Jin-wook, Lee Hae-sik, and Jin Seong-jun responded immediately.

“We must gather at the National Assembly immediately.”
--- From "The Night of the December 3 Civil War and the Lifting of Martial Law"

“Recently, there has been a lot of talk about martial law.
However, if you look at the martial law plan that was previously created, it is said that there was a plan to arrest and detain members of the National Assembly at the same time as martial law was declared to prevent the National Assembly from demanding the lifting of martial law.” Although the Blue House immediately refuted Representative Lee Jae-myung’s remarks, I and those within the Democratic Party knew that those remarks were not mere speculation but were based on various circumstances, reports, and reasonable suspicions.
--- From "The Signal of Martial Law"

“Citizens, please come to the National Assembly now!”
Representative Lee Jae-myung left his wife's tears behind and directly asked the public for help through a live broadcast.
In a moment of life or death, he thought of the people first and reached out to them.

--- From "That Day, Lee Jae-myeong's Judgment"

“What kind of person is Lee Jae-myung?”
If someone asks me this question again, I'll answer like this in the future.
“Lee Jae-myung, he is a very cheerful person who has endured difficult times.”
--- From "The Charm of Reversal, the Cheerful Lee Jae-myung"

At the time, I was the head of the presidential campaign strategy headquarters, and I couldn't help but worry when I was in that situation.
A breakthrough was needed.
So, we needed an opportunity to remind ourselves of the historical significance of this presidential election, to shift the negative frame created by the opponent, and at the same time, to highlight our candidate's vision and positive message.
The best tool was the candidate's press conference.
One thing I've noticed while working with him is that President Lee Jae-myung is a very eloquent speaker.
It is so in the sense of 'saying the right thing at the right time' rather than being good at speaking.
--- From "The Press Conference That Changed the Tide of the Election"

The two people have similarities, but they are also different.
They share the same ideals: fighting against inequality and privilege, striving for a "world for people," and making real changes in the lives of each citizen.
However, there are also clear differences in how we achieve this ideal.
If President Roh Moo-hyun approached the public with "de-authoritarianism and easygoingness," President Lee Jae-myung will seek to gain public recognition through "achievements and problem-solving."
--- From "Similar Yet Different, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Jae-myung"

The task given to him is big and heavy, but I believe.
We are seeing that President Lee Jae-myung possesses the empathy to understand the people's desperate feelings, the balance to guard against bias and accept criticism, and the courage and leadership to overcome crises by trusting the people.
This is why I am confident in President Lee Jae-myung's success.
--- From "Reasons for the Success of the Lee Jae-myung Government"

Just as a student cannot attend school without receiving a scholarship every time, President Lee Jae-myung is born with the desperate destiny of having to work hard and produce results to prove to the people every time.
It's a harsh and painful demand for him, but seeing as he declared that he would become a tool of the people, it seems President Lee Jae-myung has already accepted that fate.
--- From "Lee Jae-myeong's Fate"

Lee Jae-myung's life, which was not smooth, is not just a success story.
Lee Jae-myung had no privileges, no background, and no guardian.
He demonstrated through his actions and intuition how he endured and overcame his life.
His life proved that pain is not an obstacle to life, but rather a 'driving force' to go higher and further.
Lee Jae-myung used these difficult moments as a springboard to complete his own narrative, which became the unshakable foundation of his politics and policies.

--- From "Epilogue: How Trials Make People Grow"

“The darker the darkness, the clearer the light,” someone once said.
Trials do not destroy our lives, but rather help us rebuild and grow.
Furthermore, after these continuous trials, a power is created that can change society beyond 'me' to 'you' and 'us'.
Just like the power that helped poor ‘boy worker Lee Jae-myung’ grow into ‘President Lee Jae-myung.’
Well, now, now is President Lee Jae-myung's time.
Let us walk together through the President's time to understand how to embody the trials of the Korean people and restore and develop the Republic of Korea.

--- From "Epilogue: How Trials Make People Grow"