Lee Nak-yeon "New party? I will speak when the time comes... Considering my role"

Former Democratic Party Leader Lee Nak-yeon Interview on Yonhap News TV
"Extreme Confrontation Between Two Parties... Sympathy for the Purpose of the Third Force"

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon stated regarding the rumors of him founding a new party, "I will speak when the time comes."

On the 4th, Lee appeared on Yonhap News TV's 'News Focus' and spoke about the third political force, saying, "The core political crisis in South Korea right now is that the two major parties, which lack trust, are fighting to the extreme, resulting in unproductive political polarization continuing." He added, "To stop this, there is an effort to unite a third force as one alternative, and I sympathize with that purpose."

He continued, "What I should do at this time for the country is a matter I must seriously consider in my life," and said, "I will not drag it out too long and will speak once my thoughts are organized."

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is delivering the keynote speech at the forum titled "Overcoming the Crisis of the Republic of Korea and Moving Toward a New Path," hosted by "Solidarity and Symbiosis," held on the morning of the 28th of last month at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding his recent public criticism of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, he said, "I waited for change with a sense of crisis, but my patience is running out," adding, "Although it may be ineffective, I thought it was right to speak out as a matter of duty."

He pointed out, "For decades, the Democratic Party had an immune system in the form of internal diversity and intra-party democracy, which prevented serious illness and allowed recovery, but now that immune system has collapsed," and said, "Diversity is no longer tolerated, and intra-party democracy is being suppressed." He added, "I see this as a very serious crisis," and emphasized, "It is urgent that anyone can speak their mind without suffering disadvantages because of it."

When asked if there is a figure among the third forces who meets expectations and standards, Lee said, "If I were to say, it would become big news," and refrained from elaborating, but responded, "If there is hope for the country's future, I hope those with a new vision, who are not too constrained by a binary choice, can give new hope to the people."

Regarding the renewed judicial risks facing Lee Jae-myung ahead of next year's general election, he said, "It is meaningless for me to talk about it, and I do not want to," adding, "One must carefully judge what the path to victory is and bear the consequences."

Additionally, concerning the Democratic Party's strategy to win next year's general election, Lee said, "The Democratic Party knows well why it cannot gain a windfall benefit from the Yoon Seok-youl administration's failures, but it is doing nothing," and remarked, "If an egg cracks from the inside, it becomes a chick, but if it cracks from the outside, it becomes a fried egg."

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