"Lee Jae-myung Andong Candidacy" Requested by Lee Won-wook... Pro-Lee Faction Says "Wrong Address"

Jeong Seong-ho "Lee Won-wook with 10,000 won vs. Lee Jae-myung with 100 million won, a showdown?"
Ahn Min-seok "Bimyeong faction should take the tough districts first"

Lee Won-wook, a member of the non-Myeong (非明) faction of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed to party leader Lee Jae-myung that he run in his hometown of Andong, Gyeongbuk, in next year's general election. Lee also stated, "If Leader Lee and his close aides choose first, I will go wherever the party tells me to go at any time." In response, the pro-Myeong (親明) faction collectively rebutted, saying this "does not make sense."

Jung Sung-ho, the leader of the pro-Myeong faction and a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on the 15th on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Isn't this like a person with 10,000 won in assets saying to a person with 100 million won in assets, 'Let's bet all our assets and have a one-shot match, let's make a wager'?" He added, "The comparison itself is not valid."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the previous day, Lee appeared on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and encouraged Leader Lee to run in Andong, saying, "(Leader Lee) is currently one of the most representative vested interests in our country's politics." He also said that as a three-term lawmaker, he himself belongs to the vested interests and stated, "If Leader Lee and his close aides choose first, I will go wherever the party tells me to go at any time."

In response, Representative Jung said, "Lee is still a three-term senior lawmaker, isn't he? I wish he would be a bit more dignified," and asked, "Does that make any sense?" He continued, "If the party leader goes to Andong as his constituency, wouldn't he have to devote all his energy there? It would be like confining the party leader to Andong," and said that 'giving up vested interests' should be "done in a different way."

Another pro-Myeong faction member, Representative Ahn Min-seok, said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "I don't know how Leader Lee's candidacy in Andong would help the general election. Demanding the party leader to run in a difficult district is misguided," adding, "It is wrong for senior opposition lawmakers to keep confronting the party leader instead of confronting the Yoon Seok-youl administration."

He further said, "I hope they would make such sacrifices first themselves before demanding it from others," and added, "If they make demands that the other side cannot accept, there must be some intention behind it unless they are fools," emphasizing that the non-Myeong faction should take the lead in running in difficult districts.

When asked by the host whether the pro-Myeong core lawmakers and Leader Lee would also run in difficult districts if the non-Myeong faction takes the lead, Representative Ahn replied, "Such conditions should not be set," and said, "As senior lawmakers, they should make a decision to sacrifice and dedicate themselves for the general election and the party, and then carry it out."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This sharp reaction from the non-Myeong faction is interpreted as indicating that the possibility of Leader Lee running in Andong is almost 'zero.' Lee himself appeared on KBS's 'Special 1 Radio Today' that morning and said, "(The feasibility) doesn't seem high," adding, "Isn't it time for the Democratic Party to show such decisive leadership?"

He also said, "I was not the first to mention (running in Andong). Im Mi-ae, the chairperson of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Party Committee, said that for us to create hopeful politics in Daegu and Gyeongbuk in the future, Leader Lee should first show such a leading example," adding, "She is someone called pro-Myeong, but she made such a demand."

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