Lee Hae-chan "We Might Lose First Place Because of the Proportional Party... We Are Operating a Countermeasure Team"

Choi Gi-il, the 11th recruit of the Democratic Party of Korea and an expert in the defense industry, is attending the welcoming ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 21st, greeting Representative Lee Hae-chan. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that he is preparing measures to prevent the Liberty Korea Party's satellite party from securing a large number of proportional representation seats. He said that former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon will be appointed as the head of the election campaign committee, and former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok will also be recruited.

On the 22nd, Lee appeared on tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and said, "There is a team within the party," adding, "We are reviewing various scenarios, but in any case, we believe that we must somehow prevent the Liberty Korea Party from creating a proportional party and taking many proportional seats."

With the introduction of the mixed-member proportional representation system, there is a sense of crisis that if the Liberty Korea Party's satellite party emerges, they could lose the first place. Lee said, "Since we are fighting over 30 seats of capped mixed-member proportional seats, there is a big difference between parties that create such a party and those that do not," adding, "If the cap had not been applied, we would have gained about 18 to 20 seats, but because the cap was applied, we cannot get any seats from that side. There is a possibility of losing the first place."

He continued, "Losing the first place means losing the Speaker of the National Assembly. Then, the leadership of the 21st National Assembly will be completely taken away, which would be a significant blow to the party and also a considerable blow to the government."

Nevertheless, he said, "We have not yet found a clear countermeasure."

Regarding former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, he said, "Once the election campaign committee is launched, he should be invited as the head of the committee. Because of his high status as a presidential candidate, he will play a major role in field-centered activities." When asked about the possibility of a confrontation with leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, Lee said, "It is a presumptuous remark, but the media talks about finding a tough district to win," adding, "At present, I think it is unlikely."

Lee also said about former Chief of Staff Im, "We want to have him with us. Since he has continued in politics, it is better for him to be together within the party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.