'Original Yoon Core Member' Kwon Seong-dong Declares Non-Candidacy and Leaves a Message

"Next Party Leader Should Abandon Presidential Ambitions and Focus on Intra-Party Struggle"
Continuing Presidential Pledges and Strengthening Conservative Party Identity
Must Stop 'Imitating the Minjoo Party' and 'Warm Conservatism'

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Youngwon Kim] Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, officially announced that he will not run for party leader in the party convention scheduled for March. Since Kwon has supported President Yoon Seok-yeol closely since his presidential candidacy, he has attracted attention as an original 'Yunhaekgwan (core associate of President Yoon Seok-yeol)' regarding whether he would run in this party convention.

On the 5th, Kwon held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and stated, "I have decided to willingly accept the concerns of party members and public opinion that if the president’s closest aide enters the leadership, there could be unnecessary misunderstandings in party management and general election nominations," expressing his intention not to run.

He also emphasized the leadership qualities that the next party leader should possess. This was interpreted as a critique of some candidates who were about to declare their candidacy for party leader.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kwon said, "For the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, winning the general election is urgent, and to win the general election, there must be no room for misunderstanding," adding, "Party unity and solidarity come first."

He continued, "We have clearly seen how conflicts, confrontations, and discord have ruined the conservative camp," and said, "My absolute conviction is that no matter what the cost, we must not repeat these mistakes."

Kwon emphasized, "The next party leader must be able to firmly realize the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s state philosophy and tasks," and stressed that the leader should abandon presidential ambitions and seize control of the political situation through strong opposition struggles.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said that while continuing the presidential campaign agenda, the identity of the conservative party must be strengthened. Kwon stated, "We must first abandon the habit of adopting the Democratic Party’s language and logic as tools for internal struggles," and added, "We must remove the 'imitating the Democratic Party' embedded throughout our party’s platform and policies. Weak language such as 'warm conservatism' must also be discarded."

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