"Political Fate Not Entrusted to Democratic Party Leadership"… Yongho Lee Withdraws Reinstatement Application

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho announced on the 15th that he is withdrawing his application to rejoin the Democratic Party of Korea. He criticized the Democratic Party leadership for failing to make a decision even after six months since his application and said he would take time to reflect.

In a statement released that day, Lee said, "It has been more than half a year since I applied to rejoin the Democratic Party at the end of April," adding, "I applied to rejoin to keep my promise to local voters and have waited until now, but my rejoining issue has been drifting for a long time due to factionalism, vested interest politics, and regional hegemony within the Democratic Party." He also expressed regret toward the Democratic Party leadership for not making a decision and leaving things unattended.

He said, "I no longer intend to entrust my political fate to the Democratic Party leadership," and added, "I will withdraw my application to rejoin the Democratic Party and reconsider the issue of my party affiliation from scratch."

He also criticized, "The Democratic Party has not paid attention to Honam, especially Jeonbuk's development," and said, "Although the party, government, and Blue House announced the establishment of a public medical school in Namwon, it has only been four years of false hope without properly resolving the issue."

Regarding his future political course, Lee said, "Ahead of next year's presidential election, I will seek and strive to fulfill the role I must play as a constitutional institution for regional development and the future of the Republic of Korea," adding, "I will take time to reflect by gathering opinions from local residents and those who love me, and I will decide my political fate directly."

Lee was the only independent candidate elected in Honam in the last general election.

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