After Geum Tae-seop, Yang Hyang-ja Also Joins New Party...Will the Third Zone Theory Ignite Again?

Yang Hyang-ja Moves to Form New Party Ahead of Next Year's General Election
Geum Tae-seop Participates in 'Reflection and Exploration' National Assembly Forum

Independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja's move to establish a new party ahead of next year's general election has brought renewed attention to the 'third zone theory' led by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop.

The background for this emergence is the growing political fatigue among centrist voters toward the two major parties, naturally increasing calls for the presence of a third political force that is neither ruling nor opposition. However, despite the consistent raising of the third zone theory ahead of general elections, there are many voices pointing out the illusion that no party has yet firmly taken root.

On the 13th, former lawmaker Geum expressed his determination to establish a new party during the opening remarks of the second forum titled "Reflection and Exploration for a Different Future" (Reflection and Exploration) held at the National Assembly. He said, "After announcing plans to form a new party, I have focused on exchanging opinions with various people and filling the content of the party to start anew." He held this forum about two months after the first one in April and co-hosted it with lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong from the Justice Party, who is also promoting the 'third zone.'

Former Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, 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 April 18. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

With about 300 days left until the general election, movements to establish new parties are actively taking place. Former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in has joined forces with former lawmaker Geum, who has officially declared the 'new party formation,' and they plan to launch the new party around September. Recently, independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja, who left the Democratic Party, also plans to hold a founding member meeting on the 26th at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, to officially declare the formation of a new party.

The surge of calls for 'new party formation' in the political sphere targets the centrist voters who feel fatigued by the deadlock between the ruling and opposition parties with less than a year remaining until the general election. On the same day, Shin In-kyu, head of the People Power Party's Baroseugi (Straightening Up) faction, said on BBS's "Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal," "The so-called non-affiliated voters' disgust toward the two major parties and dissatisfaction with their hostile symbiotic relationship have almost reached a critical point. So I definitely believe there is demand for the (third zone)."

However, there are many political figures who view these attempts with skepticism, noting that although there have been several movements to form new parties ahead of past general elections, the political landscape ultimately reverted to the two major parties.

Park Ji-won, former National Intelligence Service chief who left the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the predecessor of the Democratic Party, to join the People's Party led by Ahn Cheol-soo and returned last year, said on the YouTube program "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the same day, "When election time comes, new parties spring up like mushrooms under a fence during the rainy season," adding, "Ask me before you form a party. I've tried it all, and this (forming a party) is not it."

Yang Hyang-ja, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Strengthening Competitiveness in the Semiconductor Industry, is attending the 1st meeting of the Special Committee on Strengthening Competitiveness in the Semiconductor Industry held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on June 28 last year, delivering a greeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He continued, "Although this is not something I should say to younger politicians running for office, I went to Gwangju last Sunday due to the passing of my chief secretary's mother, and the media people gathered there said, 'Well, if Yang Hyang-ja forms a party, will she be elected in Gwangju?'" This implies that even if a new party is formed, the chances of winning in the general election are not high.

Former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju, who has experience in forming new parties such as the Open Democratic Party, also said on CPBC radio the day before, "Every time there is a general election, there is an illusion that the centrist group is growing. It has always been like that during elections," adding, "We need to see how the election system will be in 2023 to determine whether a third party can be formed or not. Talking about the possibility of a third party emerging without mentioning the current system is like seeing a son-in-law before having a child."

He further stated, "I'm not disparaging lawmaker Yang, but basically, if you have been in politics for a long time or are well-informed in political circles, you cannot easily talk about a third party," and claimed, "I am a veteran in forming new parties, but those people (new parties) cannot be formed. They lack support."

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