'On-Time Bus Departure' VS 'Consideration of Outsiders'... Opposition Party Leadership Candidates' Heated Debate in Presidential Primary

On the 31st, MBC's 100 Minutes Debate Hosts the People Power Party Leadership Candidates Debate

Na Kyung-won (from the right), Lee Jun-seok, Joo Ho-young, Cho Kyung-tae, and Hong Moon-pyo, candidates running for the People Power Party leadership election, are taking a commemorative photo before the 100-minute debate held at MBC Studio in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 31st. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] The candidates for the People Power Party (PPP) leadership engaged in a fierce debate over the primary election method for next year's presidential race. Former Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok, and lawmakers Cho Kyung-tae and Hong Moon-pyo advocated for a self-reliance theory focused on the party's schedule, while lawmaker Joo Ho-young and former lawmaker Na Kyung-won emphasized a timeline that considers figures outside the party.

At the PPP leadership candidate debate held on MBC's '100-Minute Debate' starting at 10:40 PM on the 31st, former Supreme Council member Lee introduced the "bus theory."

Lee said, "A bus stops at a designated stop at a designated time. You cannot wait for a specific person, nor can it go on a route desired by a particular individual," emphasizing, "The primary should be conducted with fair and strict rules, and it should be platformized so that many candidates can participate together." He argued that the presidential primary should proceed according to the party's schedule regardless of external figures such as former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, and independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo.

Lee continued, "Anyone who pays 1,250 won can ride the bus, but there are unified stops and stops for early joiners. That is the choice of candidates outside," explaining, "During the last Seoul mayoral election, the bus departed at the scheduled time, and through fair competition, we selected a candidate and unified, which led to our victory."

Lawmakers Cho and Hong expressed opinions similar to former Supreme Council member Lee. Cho said, "I hope our party gains confidence. We need to set our own roadmap so that, like in the Seoul mayoral election, we can unify with other candidates later," adding, "If we only watch other candidates, we might miss the timing."

Hong also said, "As a public party, there must be some principles. There is no guarantee who will come, and it is all hypothetical, but if principles are shaken because of that, it is unacceptable," stating, "The way to seize power is to carefully select candidates through self-reliance and nurture our candidate there."

In contrast, former lawmaker Na and lawmaker Joo emphasized punctuality but expressed concerns that opposition unity might become difficult. Na said, "If we start first, only candidates within the party will board. When that happens, other opposition candidates may doubt the fairness of this process," adding, "We will set the primary train departure date at the end of September and work to gather opposition candidates sufficiently. If our party's candidate starts hastily, it could block other candidates from joining our party."

Na further added, "Next year's presidential election is more complicated than the last Seoul mayoral primary," emphasizing, "Whether external candidates join our party is very important, and if the schedule is set and started too quickly, the integration process could be difficult."

Joo also said, "Unlike the method where everyone joins our party and competes in a single primary, if we select candidates first and start, unifying candidates could become complicated and difficult," pointing out, "If the bus departs on time and others do not join by then, it just leaves, which could risk holding the presidential election with a divided opposition."

He added, "If we proceed with a unilateral party schedule, it could be perceived as vested interests," emphasizing, "We must not provide a trigger for division."

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