Kim Ki-hyun "Confused About Party Leader Candidates"... What Is Lee Jun-seok's Intention in Joining the Democratic Party Leadership Race?

The More the Convention Succeeds, the More Advantageous for Former Representative
Kim Ki-hyun: "Party Leader Candidate, Is It Cheon Ha-ram or Lee Jun-seok?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Former party leader Lee Jun-seok has officially entered the 3·8 party convention to elect the new leadership of the People Power Party. Although he appears to be supporting four candidates classified as the 'pro-Lee Jun-seok faction'?party leader candidate Cheon Ha-ram and supreme council member candidates Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, and Lee Ki-in?this is analyzed as a process of expanding his political footprint after resuming activities through publishing politics following last year's suspension of party membership.

On the 13th, former leader Lee rushed to Jeju, where the first joint debate of party convention candidates was held. In the morning, he attended a meeting at a restaurant in Jeju with bereaved families of the Jeju 4·3 victims and four reform conservatives, and in the afternoon, he participated in the joint debate and met party members.

Lee's recent actions are seen as a strategic move to boost interest in this party convention. The convention's success is expected to lead to a high voter turnout, which could advantage Lee's close associates over the pro-Yoon faction candidates who rely more on organizational votes.

Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, said, "As former leader Lee keeps speaking and these statements get reported, there is a possibility that the People Power Party convention will become a hit thanks to him." A party official also said, "When Lee was elected last time, there was nationwide interest, but this time, since voting changed to 100% party member participation, non-members lost interest in the convention. Recently, as Lee has stepped forward, it seems to be getting interesting again."

Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party, is greeting party members at the 'Cheer Up! Republic of Korea - 3rd Party Convention Jeju Joint Speech Meeting' held on the 13th at the Pacific Hotel in Jeju City, Jeju Island. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Inside and outside the party, it is predicted that if the top vote-getter in the party leader election does not exceed 50% of the votes in the main round, candidate Ahn's side will be relatively advantageous. Amid fierce competition between candidates Kim and Ahn for first place, if candidate Cheon secures a certain level of support, the probability that Cheon's supporters will shift their votes to Kim in a runoff is very low.

Director Um analyzed, "From former leader Lee's perspective, who has been consistently at odds with President Yoon Seok-yeol, it is more favorable for Ahn to become party leader than for Kim, who enjoys full support from the pro-Yoon faction, because it would broaden Lee's space for activity. Therefore, Lee is actively working to boost the convention's success."

In particular, there is a strong expectation that pro-Lee Jun-seok candidates will make significant advances in the supreme council member election, where four members are elected. Since the supreme council election allows each voter two votes, if Lee's supporters concentrate their votes on candidates Heo Eun-ah and Kim Yong-tae, it creates a favorable situation compared to the pro-Yoon faction candidates, whose votes are expected to be split. This would expand Lee's influence.

However, regarding Lee's recent moves, Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University's Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, "It is true that the number of party members increased during Lee Jun-seok's leadership, but it is unclear whether they joined because of Lee himself or because they believed the People Power Party was changing through him. If many members joined due to Lee's personal popularity, there could be an effect, but if not, it is hard to see these moves translating into votes."

Leading party leadership candidate Kim Ki-hyun, after a joint speech event in Jeju that day, told reporters, "I am confused whether the party leader candidate is Cheon Ha-ram or Lee Jun-seok," and added, "Wouldn't it be better to come out confidently instead of doing that?"

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