Yoo Seung-min Keeps Door Open for 'New Party' Possibility... "Is There Anyone to Follow?" "No Interest"

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min has expressed that he is considering all options, including forming a new party and running as an independent, drawing attention to whether he will join the wave of new party formations led by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop and lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja. However, there is skepticism in political circles about the feasibility of a 'Yoo Seung-min new party.'

Jang Ye-chan, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said on the 21st on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' that "I have no interest whether they form a new party or not," adding, "If they had spent even a tenth of the passion they have for nitpicking the president's remarks on criticizing the opposition, they would not have received such harsh evaluations within our party or at the last party convention."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After delivering a lecture titled 'Correcting Political Parties' at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 19th, former lawmaker Yoo told reporters, "Nothing is decided yet regarding whether I will run or not, where I would run if I do, whether I will form a new party, or stay," which can be interpreted as leaving open the possibility of a new party. However, Supreme Council member Jang analyzed that Yoo's new party would not have much impact, saying, "Except for some progressive media, I don't think anyone is inviting him anymore."

There are also criticisms that even if Yoo forms a new party, there are not many suitable figures to join him. Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-seok said on the previous day’s CPBC radio program 'Kim Hye-young's News Sympathy,' "He is a cautious type who crosses even a stone bridge carefully and has tried forming a new party before. He himself has diagnosed it as a failure, so I wonder if he would dare to try again," adding, "Realistically, how many people would follow Yoo Seung-min if he left the party and formed a new one?"

He added, "Would former leader Lee Jun-seok leave? Would close associates like lawmaker Yoo Ui-dong or lawmaker Kim Woong leave? The outlook is pessimistic and negative," and "Even he should enter the National Assembly to plan for the future, but since he has nothing, would he form a new party with little to no resources? These are the kinds of prospects being discussed."

People Power Party lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk also said on the previous day’s YTN program 'Shin Yul's News Face-off,' "Running in next year's general election might be a natural step," but added, "However, as he himself said, it is very difficult to succeed in forming a new party, so it is currently hard to predict the possibility of him creating another new party."

Despite these skeptical responses, if a 'Yoo Seung-min new party' is formed, there is a possibility of expanding its influence by allying with other new parties advocating for a third political bloc. Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who is preparing to launch the 'New Party,' responded to a question about the possibility of an alliance with the 'Yoo Seung-min new party' on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' by saying, "It is difficult for me to answer hypothetical questions," but added, "I think anyone with a sane mind in politics would have similar concerns (about a third bloc new party)," leaving the possibility open.

Former lawmaker Geum said, "If those who share similar concerns stand on similar paths, I believe we should all join forces. There should be no conflicts or anything like that," adding, "It is difficult to form a new party in the third political bloc, and everyone must unite their strength."

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