Yoo Seung-min "Promoting New Conservative Party and Korean Party Merger... Will Not Run in General Election" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Yoo Seung-min, chairman of the Conservative Reconstruction Committee of the New Conservative Party, announced on the 9th that he will push for a new merger between the New Conservative Party and the Liberty Korea Party. He stated that he will not demand nomination rights, shares, or party leadership in the new party and expressed his intention not to run in the upcoming general election.

Chairman Yoo held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day and said, "I will wait for the Liberty Korea Party's response to the proposal."

He explained, "When deciding to merge, I only thought about the will of the people," adding, "To stop the reckless actions of the Moon Jae-in administration that is ruining the Republic of Korea, I will follow the people's command for conservatives to unite." Chairman Yoo emphasized, "The people command conservatives to unite, be reborn, replace power in the general and presidential elections, and save Korea from the crisis of national ruin," but also stressed, "simply merging will not win the hearts of the people, and conservatives must be rebuilt from the roots up."

Chairman Yoo pointed out, "Conservatives who firmly protect the pillars of the country such as the economy and security, build communities, and uphold values like freedom, equality, fairness, justice, human rights, and the rule of law are reform conservatives. However, the nine years of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations were far from reform conservatism," and added, "The appearance of opposition conservative politics over the past three years has also been far from reform conservatism."

He continued, "The deepest concern I had when deciding between merging or taking an independent path was precisely the dream of reform conservatism. The Liberty Korea Party has not changed, so can a merger truly win the hearts of the people?" He confessed, "Even at this moment when I am announcing my decision to merge, this concern weighs heavily on my heart."

Chairman Yoo said that the only thing he can do now is to put himself aside, stating, "I will follow the people's will for conservatives to unite, but at the same time, to leave my sincere commitment to reform conservatism, today I declare that I will not run in the general election," and added, "I sincerely hope that my withdrawal will be of some help as conservatives unite and move toward reform conservatism."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Yoo said, "As I promised when I first spoke about the three principles of conservative reconstruction, I will not make any demands regarding nomination rights, shares, or party positions," and added, "Just uphold the three principles. I only hope that the nominations will be those that achieve reform conservatism."

He said, "Nominations must be able to impress the people," and added, "I thank the citizens of Daegu who have elected me four times. I hope Daegu becomes the heart of reform pioneering the country's future, not a hotbed of old conservatism."

He also requested the succession of employment for party officials after the merger. Chairman Yoo emphasized, "The New Conservative Party has central and provincial party officials who have been working for months without pay, driven only by the dream and will of reform conservatism," and said, "I earnestly ask for the succession of their employment so that they can work together for conservative victory."

He continued, "Conservatives who have protected the country must stand firm for Korean politics to stand firm," and said, "I have worked hard for a long time to promote rational conservatism and fought countless battles over 20 years. Now, I will reflect on my shortcomings and take a moment to catch my breath and ask myself, 'Why do I do politics?'"

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