'Jo Guk New Party Theory'... The Third Zone Blazing Up

Exploring Third-Base Politics in the Two-Party System of People Power and Democratic Party
New Party Rumors Surge Ahead of the 22nd General Election... Impact Remains Questionable

Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop and independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja declared the formation of a new party, activating the political 'third zone' about 300 days ahead of the general election, while rumors of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's 'new party formation' have heated up the political scene.

Park Ji-won, former director of the National Intelligence Service and known as an 'insider' in political circles, predicted that Cho Kuk would form a new party in Gwangju, sparking debate over the feasibility of this prediction within political circles.

On the 19th, lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja dismissed the possibility of a 'Cho Kuk Gwangju new party' when asked by the host on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' saying, "I have never thought about it."

The rumor about Cho Kuk forming a new party emerged on the 16th when former NIS director Park Ji-won mentioned on KBS's 'Joo Jin-woo Live' that "there is a possibility of running as an independent or forming a new party, with more weight on forming a new party. The constituency would be Gwangju." This was interpreted as referring to Cho Kuk's statement during a meeting with former President Moon Jae-in that he would "take a path where there is no path," implying the formation of a new party.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lawmaker Yang criticized Park Ji-won's prediction, calling it "a highly insulting remark to the citizens of Gwangju," and said, "forming a new party is a mission given by the times, but it is questionable whether former Minister Cho Kuk has such a mission bestowed by the times." Yang is preparing to launch the new party tentatively named 'Hope of Korea' on the 26th. It is a third-zone new party aiming to be a 'national party,' reportedly attracting interest from more than five incumbent lawmakers.

The rumor of Cho Kuk's new party emerged amid active discussions about the third zone, including the party formation rumors of former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja, and the Justice Party. If realized, it is expected to have significant repercussions. His candidacy would be a burden to the Democratic Party, while the People Power Party could relatively benefit, which is the general view. On the 15th, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon said on CBS radio, "Even if he runs as an independent or with a new party, his candidacy itself is a big burden for the Democratic Party."

Opinions differ on the feasibility. Former People Power Party Vision Strategy Office chief Kim Geun-sik said on CBS radio, "In my view, it is (Park Ji-won's) brain speculation," adding, "if the Democratic Party offers him a safe seat like Gwanak-gap with a flower palanquin, he might accept it. But given his personality, he would never invest effort, time, money, and people to create a new party."

On the other hand, Hyun Geun-taek, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, said, "the basic plan of Democratic presidential candidates is that he would receive support in Honam and some support in Yeongnam since he is from Yeongnam. If Minister Cho Kuk runs for the National Assembly, he probably wouldn't just aim to be a lawmaker," adding, "if he is considering a presidential run, Park Ji-won's remarks might not be entirely impossible from that perspective."

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