Lee In-je hints at independent run... "If Hwang Kyo-ahn doesn't fix it, I will leave the party"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Former lawmaker Lee In-je, who was excluded from the nomination of the United Future Party, hinted on the 10th that he would run as an independent candidate in the Nonsan·Gyeryong·Geumsan district of Chungnam.

On the afternoon of the same day, Lee held a press conference at his election office in Nonsan, Chungnam, saying, "I firmly reject the tyranny of the nomination management committee," and added, "I ask Representative Hwang Kyo-ahn to correct the illegality. If not, I will temporarily leave the party and strive to win the general election."

Earlier, the party’s nomination committee cut him off (excluded from nomination) in the relevant area and recommended former party district chairman Park Woo-seok as the sole candidate. Lee has filed an appeal with the nomination committee against this decision.

He claimed, "There were four applicants for nomination in our region, and the nomination committee should have conducted a fair primary according to the party’s constitution and regulations, but they completely ignored this and decided on a single candidate without any explanation," adding, "This is a clear illegality and violence that cannot be tolerated in a democratic party."

Lee also criticized Chairman Kim Hyung-oh, saying, "I heard that the nomination committee instructed the Yeouido Research Institute to exclude me and quickly conduct a public opinion poll with only the remaining three candidates," and added, "A provincial assembly member in Chungnam met with nomination committee member Kim Se-yeon and asked why they were trying to exclude me despite having no alternatives. At first, there was no response, but then they said the committee knows that with only three candidates, they cannot beat the ruling party’s candidate," calling it an unfair decision.

He further pointed out, "Chairman Kim reportedly called the Chungnam office director and ordered him to prepare a report on sending candidate Kim Geun-tae, who applied for nomination in the nearby Gongju-Buyeo district, to my district," and criticized, "I was shocked by the idea that in a place like Chungnam, unlike a metropolitan city, candidates who applied in other regions could be shuffled around like this."

Lee said, "Even when electing a village chief, if there are competitors, the decision is made by voting. However, the nomination committee trampled on party democracy and democratic procedures based on the party’s constitution and regulations, committing the atrocity of recommending an uncompetitive person rather than a competitive one," and criticized, "No one gave the nomination committee the authority to arbitrarily decide candidates."

He requested Representative Hwang to block this by not approving the nomination committee’s decision at the Supreme Council meeting. Lee warned, "I ask Representative Hwang to promptly correct the illegality so that all candidates, including myself, can participate in a fair primary. Otherwise, I will temporarily leave the party."

He added, "After winning, I will return to the party and devote all my efforts to rebuilding the Free Republic of Korea and revitalizing our stagnant hometown."

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