Yoo Seung-min: "Hardline conservatives, please stop... The party should not be dragged along"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] On the 23rd, Yoo Seung-min, a member of the Future United Party, appealed to hardline conservative voters, saying, "If we continue like this, we will lose again," and urged, "We must change to win."

Yoo appeared on MBC's '100-Minute Debate' that day and spoke about the cause of the crushing defeat in the April 15 general election, saying, "People say things like annihilation, collapse, and ruin when they look at us, but the most accurate term is 'self-destruction.'"

He added, "It's not that we lost because the public hates us. The cause lies entirely within us. The metropolitan area, centrist voters, and young voters are the most important. If conservative politics does not focus on these groups, it cannot win, but neglecting and ignoring them has been accumulating not only in this election but continuously."

Yoo appealed to hardline conservative voters, saying, "I want to appeal to hardline conservative voters. If we continue like this, we will lose again," demanding change. Regarding the hardline conservative supporters and YouTubers who spread pre-election manipulation rumors even after the general election defeat, he said, "I wish they would stop." He added, "When making such claims, one must have facts and evidence, but it is difficult to say that the level of evidence they have is proof of early voting fraud."

He particularly criticized the past leadership's behavior, saying, "It is not good if the party keeps being shaken by suspicions raised without evidence by some far-right YouTubers," and "The party leader inviting those people (far-right YouTubers) to events and party representatives associating with them and echoing their claims is one aspect of the problem."

Yoo said, "I understand the asphalt right-wing, the Taegeukgi Unit, and those people genuinely worry about the country," but emphasized, "We must correct the tendency to be swayed by such outdated conservative claims."

Regarding the party's course after the general election defeat, he said, "It is important to thoroughly reflect, analyze the causes of defeat, and form a consensus within the party on how to change," adding, "This is truly the last chance. We must reflect, introspect, and seek a path with this determination."

On the future direction of the party leadership system amid discord, he said, "The emergency committee, its chairman, and the party convention are not problems," and "It is necessary to first reach an agreement on the party's new line, values, attitude, and personnel." He further stated, "We must find out ourselves why we lost to reach an internal consensus," expressing opposition to the emergency committee system involving external personnel.

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