Lee Jun-seok: "Ahn Cheol-soo Joining the Democratic Party Would Not Be Surprising... Unlikely to Unite"

"Park Geun-hye's Message Unlikely to Have Major Impact on Yoon"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 2nd, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, responded to Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, mentioning the so-called 'pan-liberal coalition' encompassing Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, by saying, "Freedom to be mistaken."

In an interview with JTBC's 'Newsroom' that evening, Lee said in response to a question about the possibility of a coalition between the pan-liberal camp and candidate Ahn, "The combination of the Democratic Party and candidate Ahn is within the realm of imagination, but I am not sure whether it will be a lifeline for the Democratic Party or lead to another outcome."

He added, "Candidate Ahn has already switched lanes to the conservative side, so if he switches lanes again to that side (Democratic Party), it wouldn't be surprising nor would I have much expectation, but I will watch nonetheless."

Regarding the possibility of unification with candidate Ahn, Lee said, "In the past, unifications like Jung Mong-joon and Roh Moo-hyun, or Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo usually happened about 40 days before the election," adding, "Since the official campaign period starts 20 days before the election, many agreements must be reached before then. There has been no case of unification starting after 40 days, so based on precedent, I think unification will not happen."

Meanwhile, concerning Kim Geon-hee, spouse of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl, Lee said, "I don't think the activities of Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, had a positive effect on Lee's vote share," and added, "In this election as well, I think our candidate's spouse can play a role appropriately depending on the situation."

He said, "There are various opinions within our party regarding (Kim Geon-hee's activities), but we are planning (the activities) fully respecting the judgment of the candidate and spouse."

Regarding former President Park Geun-hye, who was specially pardoned at the end of last year, Lee said, "Since she has had a long time in custody, regaining her health is a priority, and I think there is no need to rush political activities," adding, "When she does engage in political activities, it is important to sincerely express her intentions to the support base that may have weakened and the people who were inconvenienced during the nearly five years of the state affairs manipulation scandal and impeachment."

He added, "I think (former President Park) will probably express a very restrained stance regarding the election."

When the host asked, "Wouldn't former President Park's statement be a concern for candidate Yoon?" Lee replied, "Party members and the public know that candidate Yoon played a significant role in the state affairs manipulation and impeachment, and elected him as the presidential candidate," adding, "Former President Park's remarks will not have a very big impact."

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