Geum Tae-seop: "Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jun-seok, Anti-Myeong and Anti-Yoon Won't Work... The System Itself Must Be Fixed"

"If Lee Nak-yeon, Lee Jun-seok, and Ryu Ho-jeong Cannot Overcome Differences, They Cannot Persuade Voters"

Geum Tae-seop, former lawmaker leading the third-party new party 'New Choice,' raised his voice saying that former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, who are reportedly preparing to establish a new party, "cannot succeed with just anti-Myeong (anti-Lee Jae-myung) and anti-Yoon (anti-Yoon Seok-youl) stances," emphasizing that the entire system itself must be reformed.

On the 11th, Geum said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Former leader Lee Jun-seok and the non-Myeong faction within the Democratic Party, including former leader Lee Nak-yeon, have been speaking a lot. But it's the same thing. I think we can no longer rely on just anti-Myeong and anti-Yoon positions," expressing this view.

Geum Tae-seop, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the New Choice Party. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Although former leaders Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jun-seok have taken 'anti-Myeong' and 'anti-Yoon' positions respectively, Geum pointed out the limitations of opposition alone. He stressed that instead of opposing specific individuals, the political system itself needs to be changed.

Geum said, "Just because Lee suddenly changes overnight and tries to be inclusive, the Democratic Party will not change, and President Yoon has been doing things for a year and a half, so suddenly showing an inclusive attitude will not bring change either," adding, "If we think this needs to be changed, then we work together. We simply present our own path and continue on it."

He explained, "The People Power Party currently has about 106 seats, but even if it increases to 130 seats, nothing seems likely to change. The Democratic Party has 180 seats now, but is in such a state, so even if it gets 180 seats again, nothing will change," emphasizing, "This is not a personal issue or a problem with the current party leaders or the president, but a structural problem."

Geum is known to have recently met with both former leaders Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jun-seok to share thoughts. He said, "Former leader Lee Nak-yeon asked to meet, so we did," adding, "It seems he is thinking on a bigger scale rather than just how to fix things while staying in the Democratic Party, but it is a bit difficult for me to go into detail about what was discussed."

He continued, "I also told him that 'the Democratic Party should not just be patched up,' and I hope he thinks on a bigger scale. Anyway, words and thoughts are not as important as actions now, so I am watching to see what he will do," he said.

Regarding former leader Lee Jun-seok, he said, "Lee Jun-seok is still a member of the People Power Party and needs to choose his path. If he thinks that only President Yoon Seok-youl is at fault and fixing him is enough, then our concerns differ," adding, "It is not a personal issue but the entire system itself that needs to be changed. If that happens, we can work together."

On the so-called 'Nak-Jun Alliance' between Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jun-seok, he said, "That is a matter for them to decide," but added, "The Democratic Party itself does not have a big problem, but the issue is Lee Jae-myung. If they leave and create a good or new Democratic Party, that would be different from us and also different from former leader Lee Jun-seok."

He also emphasized the necessity of joining a 'big tent' and said that 'concessions and sacrifices' are needed. He said, "Lee Nak-yeon, Lee Jun-seok, Ryu Ho-jeong, and I are all different, but if we cannot overcome those differences, we will not be convincing to voters," adding, "So if a new party or new force is to be formed, it depends on whether those people can overcome that, and that may require concessions and sacrifices. Whether they can do that or not is the key."

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