Lee Jun-seok "Yoon Seok-yeol Must Hurry to Join People Power Party... Late August Is Also Too Late"

Interview with Lee Jun-seok, People Power Party Leader
Without Opposition Candidates Joining, Difficult to Complete Presidential Race
Changing Primary Rules and Special Privileges Are Out of the Question

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Geum Bo-ryeong] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, said to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, "You should hurry to join the People Power Party." Initially setting the deadline as 'the end of August,' Lee said, "If you think it's fine to join about two days before the end of August, it will appear unfavorable to the public."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

In an interview conducted two days before Yoon's declaration of political participation on the 29th, Lee said this and also expressed concern about Yoon's recent actions, which have not clearly indicated whether he will join the party, saying, "I worry about what he is doing."

He also expressed the opinion that it would be difficult for presidential candidates outside the party, including former Prosecutor General Yoon, to 'complete the presidential race' without joining the People Power Party. Lee critically stated, "Campaigning must continue until one or two months before the presidential election, but in the history of South Korea, only Ahn Cheol-soo and Chung Mong-joon have had the organizational power and funds to do so." Regarding demands from outside candidates such as changes to the primary rules, he firmly said, "Giving special treatment is out of the question. We cannot reduce party fees or offer any favors."

Below is a Q&A with Lee.

- What principles have you established while preparing for next year's presidential election?

▲ Fundamentally, there should be no confusion like that experienced in the 2017 presidential election. At that time, we were swayed by an external variable called 'Ban Ki-moon' and lost without achieving anything. Therefore, this time, I do not intend to actively recruit a specific presidential candidate as the party leader. If the party is attractive, candidates will come without recruitment, and if it is not attractive, they will not come even if we kneel.

- What do you think will be the biggest issue in this presidential election?

▲ People who talk about 'non-specific' things in Yeouido politics will be eliminated. I read this trend during the Seoul mayoral election, where candidate Park Young-sun listed superficial words like artificial intelligence (AI), the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and osmosis. These became objects of ridicule among the younger generation.

- Are you saying specific knowledge is required?

▲ What comes from specific knowledge is the ability to answer questions on the spot. One must have a deep understanding of the issues to endure. What worries me about those outside the party is how many questions they have been asked so far. Those with legal backgrounds have experienced questions where information is leaked and reporters investigate, but do they really understand how different political reporting is, where the public wants to ask questions? That is why I say hurry. Some think that if I say the bus leaves at the end of August, it is fine to join about two days before the end of August, but such an attitude will look bad to the public. The 'end of August' is about proceeding with the presidential schedule, but before that, there needs to be time to join, interact with party members, and understand the party's identity.

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

- Are you worried about outside candidates like former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol?

▲ If those outside the party use their time wisely, I am not too worried whether they join or not. But I worry about what they are doing. Even if they meet someone, they meet people who seem meaningless to the extent that I wonder why they are meeting them. They should meet notable figures to get media coverage, but from my evaluation, they continue to meet people I would ask, 'Who are you?' and I am genuinely concerned. It is unfortunate to see people outside the party thinking their support rate will hold if they stall, and it is absurd if someone inside the party thinks they can be the only one left to run in the presidential election by targeting others.

- Former emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in says that the 50% party member vote rule makes it difficult for outside candidates to join.

▲ I think that is a matter of confidence. Even if the ratio of party member votes to public opinion polls was 9 to 1 in this party convention, I still won. If someone is afraid of party members and cannot join the party, I think they have no chance. Although there were sampling issues with People Power Party members, the number of young members has increased, and their turnout is high, so the party member vote will be more interesting.

- What if outside candidates demand special treatment when joining?

▲ We can provide any service to those inside the party. But if we offer special treatment to those outside and they do not join, what would happen to me? Special treatment for joining is unnecessary. We cannot reduce party fees or offer anything. Demanding special treatment as a condition for joining is out of the question.

- Could outside candidates demand conditions related to the primary rules?

▲ If they make demands, we will consider them. But all demands must be official. The moment they make demands, the public will ridicule them. If they say they won't join if the ratio is 5 to 5 but will join if it is 7 to 3, are they presidential candidates or merchants? I have never seen anyone who complains about the election system achieve good results.

- If the issue of outside candidates joining is not resolved, could it be delayed until just before the presidential election?

▲ Only Ahn Cheol-soo and Chung Mong-joon in South Korean history have had the organizational power and funds to campaign until one or two months before the presidential election. The presidential election costs about 50 billion won. If an outside candidate who has held out until this point unifies with the People Power Party candidate and we cannot field our own candidate, it would be a fatal blow to both me personally and the party. Therefore, agreeing to unify just before the election means the party is prepared to close its doors after spending a considerable amount. To take such a political risk, there must be advantages like expanding the support base. I will act responsibly as party leader considering these factors.

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

- In the last Seoul mayoral election, there was a final race between the party's primary winner and an outside candidate (Ahn Cheol-soo).

▲ Even if that happens, the People Power Party candidate will inevitably win the unification. During the Seoul mayoral election, Ahn Cheol-soo's 'moment of the star' was until the poll showed that if Ahn ran as the final candidate, he would win, but if the party candidate ran, he would lose. On the other hand, when polls showed that Ahn would win and so would Oh Se-hoon or Na Kyung-won, Ahn should have realized he no longer had the luxury to bluff. Currently, polls show that outside candidates are preferred because they seem likely to win in a one-on-one race, while party candidates seem likely to lose. However, if the Moon Jae-in administration's failures deepen or the party's approval rating rises and it becomes clear that 'party candidates can also win,' then the bargaining power of outside candidates becomes zero. Everyone overlooks this point.

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