Geum Tae-seop to Form New Party Within 5 Months... Can He Overcome the 'Valley of Death'?

Geum Tae-seop Announces Party Formation Plan Before Chuseok
Yoo Seung-min: "Must Have Willingness to Cross the Valley of Death"

One year ahead of the general election, former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who raised the flag for the creation of a 'third zone' new party, announced that he plans to establish the new party by this year's Chuseok. Since this fall is the period when the nomination process for next year's general election will be in full swing, the turmoil surrounding the nominations is likely to become a driving force for the formation of the new party. However, the fact that no presidential candidate-level figure has joined yet is considered a problem. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also expressed doubts about whether they can overcome the 'Valley of Death.'

On the 24th, former lawmaker Geum said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "The idea of doing something before Chuseok is my opinion," but added, "Next year, the general election system will be fully in place, but before that, we need to at least show the framework and demonstrate that we are heading in this direction. To be able to show that, we should present at least the framework by around autumn," presenting a master plan.

Former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in is conversing with former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop at the "Reflection and Exploration Forum for a Different Future" held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 18th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The end of September, suggested by former lawmaker Geum, is the time when the outline of nominations begins to take shape ahead of next year's general election. If nomination turmoil occurs around this time, it could become a driving force for the formation of the new party. When asked by the host about the possibility of 'nomination turmoil from the two major parties,' former lawmaker Geum said, "I think that is quite possible," pointing out, "Everyone in the ruling People Power Party is anxious, and the Democratic Party, on its part, is currently involved in a money envelope scandal and is responding in a way that makes no sense to the public."

At the same time, he emphasized, "I believe this (nomination turmoil) could erupt toward the end, but the third force cannot succeed just by gaining some reflexive benefits from that. There have been cases in the past where this led to some success, but they did not last long," stressing that rather than relying on the aftermath of nomination turmoil, they will promote the party's direction and intrinsic appeal.

The problem is that the 'third zone' new party led by former lawmaker Geum lacks a presidential candidate-level figure who can guarantee the 'permanence of the party.' However, former lawmaker Geum takes the opposite stance, saying that politics relying solely on personalities ultimately fails. He said, "The Ahn Cheol-soo phenomenon failed, and the past efforts by JP and Chairman Chung Ju-young all failed," adding, "the idea that a fresh, untainted new figure will come out and save our politics like a messiah is an outdated and anachronistic notion."

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who has already experienced failure after founding a new party, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that he "hopes the 'third zone' led by former lawmaker Geum will do well," but also said, "It is not easy to succeed unless it is equipped with considerable will, vision, and appeal."

He said, "Politics is not done alone; it is ultimately done with comrades. There must be a strong will to go through the Valley of Death together," adding, "To do that (form a new party), you need a will to risk your life, and you need a vision, policies, and appeal that can attract public sentiment. Without those, I don't think the new party has a high chance of success."

Cheon Ha-ram, chairman of the Suncheon-gap party committee and a member of the 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' also said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' that "The environment is indeed favorable right now," but added, "There are many doubts about whether former lawmaker Geum is the best person to raise the flag for the third zone." Although Lee Jun-seok, former party leader, and Chairman Cheon are considered likely to come out as a third zone ahead of the general election, Chairman Cheon said, "It was just the day before yesterday that he said he would become party leader, but suddenly leaving to form a third party or a new party is not something he is currently considering."

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