Lee Jun-seok "Lack of parliamentary experience to lead the party? Yoon without political experience cannot be a presidential candidate"

Former Supreme Council Member of the Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), Lee Jun-seok. / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) and candidate in the People Power Party leadership race, issued a warning, saying, "What I lack is parliamentary experience, but if senior lawmakers say I cannot take on the party leadership because of that, I will make things very difficult for them during the debate."

On the 20th, in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Oh Tae-hoon's Current Affairs Headquarters,' Lee said, "For the logic that one cannot become party leader without parliamentary experience to hold, former Prime Minister Yoon Seok-yeol, who has no parliamentary experience and no political experience at all, could not be our party's presidential candidate," adding, "I don't want to play word games like that, but it's a logic that doesn't hold from the start."

He pointed out, "When Hwang Kyo-ahn was chosen as prime minister before, no one said such things, but now that a young rising figure like Lee Jun-seok is trying, they bring up that logic, which is plainly absurd."

He continued, "Basically, I have served as the Innovation Committee Chair, Supreme Council member, and Emergency Committee member within the party, and I have been continuously managing my constituency," adding, "Unless what I have done so far is judged as insufficient, there is no reason to block me from challenging the next step, which is the party leadership."

Lee also said, "Senior lawmakers with multiple terms should be ashamed that despite having many opportunities over 20 years to leave their mark through legislation or political statements, they have failed to do so. They should not say that I gained recognition through broadcasting."

Regarding the merger with the People's Party, he stated, "Showing dislike for Representative Ahn Cheol-soo is a private matter, but in the public sphere, we must consider the party's interests."

He added, "To evaluate coldly, Representative Ahn is an excellent presidential candidate with considerable popular support and is a valuable resource, so I hope he will definitely join our party. Regarding the party-to-party merger, we will offer a generous price for the value of the party, but for suddenly hastily formed local party organizations, we will not offer a single cent," he made clear.

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