Lee Nak-yeon "Former Prime Ministers' Alliance? It's Not That We're Seeking Anything"

"If the party pushes out, must accept"
"Lee Jae-myung's Honam support weaker than before"

As news emerged that former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon met with former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum amid circulating rumors of a 'new party,' speculation is rising about the formation of an alliance among former prime ministers Lee Nak-yeon, Kim Boo-kyum, and Chung Sye-kyun. However, Lee Nak-yeon took a reserved stance, stating that it is 'not about seeking an alliance.'

On the 5th, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lee said, "There has been no progress to that extent yet. There is no exploration of anything; I just have a very deep sense of concern about the current situation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, it was reported that Lee recently met with Kim to discuss the party's situation, drawing political attention to whether a joint front among former prime ministers might be formed.

When asked by the host what was discussed during his two meetings with Kim, he said, "We were very concerned about the party's situation and also worried about the country; it was along those lines," adding, "I have also briefly met with former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. And since former Prime Minister Chung is deeply distressed, it was not easy to delve deeply into such discussions."

The reason the 'joint front' of former prime ministers is attracting attention is that Lee has been criticizing the 'Lee Jae-myung leadership' daily while voicing opinions related to a 'third zone.' Rumors of a 'new party' are also circulating. Lee said, "I have called the guarantee of diversity within the party and intra-party democracy an immune system, but that immune system is collapsing. In that sense, it is a very dangerous signal," adding, "Diversity is not being recognized, and intra-party democracy is being suppressed. From that perspective, I see it as a very dangerous situation."

When the host asked who the subject of the 'suppression' was, he replied, "There is leadership, and there is also pressure from the hardline supporters. Whether the leader and the hardline supporters are connected or not, there is pressure from both sides. It is hard to say they are not connected, but whether they are connected is not the issue right now."

The hardline fandom within the Democratic Party criticized him and launched a petition for his expulsion. Lee responded calmly, "I saw that it has now exceeded 7,000 people. A few months ago, more than 50,000 people petitioned for my expulsion," adding, "If the party drives me out, I will have to accept it; what else can I do?"

Regarding the sentiment in the Honam region, he said, "There might be a mix of concerns about the Yoon Seok-youl government's failures and reckless actions needing to be checked, and whether the Democratic Party is okay as it is," adding, "The support for Lee is solid, but there is also analysis that it has loosened compared to the past."

Some in political circles speculate that he could become a new focal point for the non-Lee Jae-myung faction. When asked whether he had met with the party's non-Lee Jae-myung faction group 'Principles and Common Sense,' he said, "I met them before 'Principles and Common Sense' was formed, but I have not met them since," adding, "I met them, but then I saw reports about 'Principles and Common Sense,' so I wondered why I hadn't heard about that earlier."

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