Lee Jun-seok's New Party Joined by 'Bimyeong Faction'?…Both Ruling and Opposition Parties Are 'Skeptical'

Political Orientation Raises Doubts About Possibility of Cooperation in Political Realignment

As rumors of former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok's 'new party formation' circulate mainly within political circles, attention is focused on the possibility of non-Myeong faction members joining Lee's new party after he revealed contacts with them. However, since their political orientations differ significantly, both the ruling and opposition parties remain skeptical about the likelihood of non-Myeong faction members joining.

On the 6th, former Democratic Party emergency committee member Kwon Ji-woong appeared on YTN's 'News Focus' and stated, "Even if (Lee and) the non-Myeong faction have contact, it is not easy to advance to jointly planning (the venture)." He pointed out, "It is difficult to narrow differences with Democratic Party members on issues Lee advocates, such as abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and increasing the transportation budget for the disabled."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Lee has left open the possibility of forming a new party, saying that if there is no change in the party by the end of next month, he will seek another path. Moreover, in a recent media interview regarding the new party, he emphasized, "We will have a broad ideological spectrum," and "I am also meeting with the non-Myeong faction," raising the possibility of their joining.

However, former emergency committee member Kwon pointed out that even with a broad ideological spectrum, it would be difficult to narrow internal party differences. He said, "When forming a coalition party, people might ask, 'Then what exactly are you advocating?'" and added, "A shallow-level coalition alone will hardly impress the public."

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, noted that a 'broad ideological spectrum' might appear awkward to the public. On YTN's 'News & Issue,' he said, "The reason public expectations are dampened is because they envision a somewhat awkward party that joins hands with the so-called non-Myeong faction, which split from the progressive party, the Democratic Party," and added, "I still have questions about what vision and plan they intend to pursue."

There are also views that Lee's claims themselves are 'baseless talk.' Democratic Party spokesperson Han Min-soo said on YTN, "The people referred to as the non-Myeong faction are not organized, and several individuals continue to express their positions through broadcasts or social media (SNS), so I don't know who Lee has met with.

Spokesperson Han added, "Since I do not know who he has met yet, it is difficult to evaluate, but the possibility does not seem high."

Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho said on the YouTube program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' "I have met with the non-Myeong faction, and (Lee's remarks) are nonsense," adding, "Those I have met say it is nonsense."

There are also criticisms that Lee lacks the capability to lead a new party. Jang Ye-chan, a youth Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said on YTN, "It is clear that Lee is a lively resource, but he has serious flaws in building relationships with people, compromising, and working together," and questioned, "A party is a political organization moving toward a common goal, so how many people would actually participate in creating and running a party?"

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