Lee Jun-seok "No intention to refuse police attendance... Party rules amendment is unconstitutional" (Comprehensive)

"I have no intention of refusing attendance, unlike Lee Jae-myung"
"Revision of party rules by the 'new emergency committee' is unconstitutional... Please heed the warning"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Joo-yeon] Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok said on the 4th, regarding the police's request for his appearance related to allegations of sexual bribery, "Unlike Lee Jae-myung, I have no intention of refusing to appear."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After finishing a press conference at Daegu Kim Kwang-seok Street that afternoon, Lee said in a Q&A session, "The police contacted me. I have left it to consult with my lawyer," adding, "I understand that my lawyer is currently negotiating within the scope that does not conflict with the party's provisional injunction situation and internal procedures."

When asked if he thinks President Yoon Seok-yeol will face a conflicting situation, he replied, "I do not want to prejudge whether President Yoon regrets the current situation or not, nor do I want to think about whether he is regretting it now," adding, "Because everything is a boomerang."

Regarding the possibility of expulsion or forming a new party if further disciplinary actions are taken, he said, "Rather than me founding a party, I think those who take various reckless moves will found a party when they have no more reckless moves left," adding, "I will leave the glory of founding a party to them."

He also said, "Disciplinary actions, like the legal system, lose their power the moment fairness is broken," adding, "If I am disciplined for using four-character idioms, this will become a lasting ridicule in history. I am confident that you will refer all politicians who have used four-character idioms to the Ethics Committee in the future."

He also indirectly criticized party members by referring to the story of secret royal inspector Park Mun-su.

He said, "If you are in a position to talk freely with the top people in politics, you should not just use that power to act arrogantly but rather become the Park Mun-su of this era," adding, "Instead of becoming a secret royal inspector or speaking frankly, they became mere sycophants acting arrogantly. My goal is to take those people as negative examples in politics."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the press conference that day, former leader Lee criticized the People Power Party's amendment of party rules, saying, "Ignoring court rulings and hastily amending party rules retroactively to cover up their own shameful acts is unconstitutional."

He said, "They say they will vote on this at the National Committee tomorrow (the 5th)," adding, "Even while more than half of the people point out that this is wrong, passing this at the National Committee means they cannot block their disregard for the constitution at the party level and will once again lead to judicial intervention."

He continued, "It is freedom to dislike the party leader for internal conflicts and to talk behind his back after ousting him," adding, "But beyond that freedom, arbitrarily amending party rules and shaking party affairs is an overreach that infringes on others' freedom." He then said, "It is shameful and deplorable. How can a group that treats the constitution and party rules like a worn-out rag criticize anyone in the future?"

He said, "The citizens of Daegu have always been a strong pillar of conservative parties. But that is a pillar you can rely on when the party is going in the right direction, not a call to take reckless moves and expect support," adding, "We must once again raise a warning. The hard-won regime, the result of a presidential election where the younger generation took an active interest and participated in politics for the first time, must never be allowed to collapse. Please give an order to Daegu politicians who remain inactive to be strong against the strong and even weaker against the weak.

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