Choi Jae-sung: "Lee Sang-min Denying Bundang, Opposition's Biden - If Removed, It's an Incident"

"Leaders, Supporters, and Goals Absent... New Party Difficult"
Reference to 2016 Formation Case of the People's Party

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Jae-sung mocked fellow party member Lee Sang-min's explanation that his "pleasant breakup remarks are not about a party split," calling it "a kind of opposition party version of the Biden-Nalrimyeon incident," and said, "Everyone who heard it understood it that way, but he himself calls it Nalrimyeon, doesn't he?"

Choi appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and said, "Lee specifically mentioned about 20 members, then said that if the Democratic Party remains the first party and a split occurs, the group that leaves to become the second party could have a bigger share in the general election," adding, "Anyone could see that he was advocating for a breakup and a split, but he himself said it shouldn't be that way."

Choi said, "Of course, he may have done it as a strong warning to party leader Lee Jae-myung, but listeners are interpreting it as 'there could be a split,' or 'he went too far,' but I say that's not the case," and added, "He simply and pleasantly broke up with his words."

Lee Sang-min, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Choi asserted that there is no possibility of the Democratic Party splitting. He pointed out, "A new party needs a leader with popular support, a certain level of regional and class base, and clear goals for the new party and the split," adding, "But none of these three exist. You can't just say, 'We didn't like someone, so we set up our own household,' and expect it to work."

He then referred to the case of the People's Party's founding in 2016. Choi explained, "In 2016, Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Han-gil, Park Ji-won, and about 20 lawmakers left the party to form the People's Party, which swept Honam in the general election at the time," adding, "Back then, the people of Honam raised a cane against the anti-Democratic Party and anti-Moon Jae-in sentiment, and there were presidential candidates like Ahn Cheol-soo and party leader Kim Han-gil, so it was possible."

He added, "There was an environment for creating a party targeting Honam, but now even that doesn't exist."

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