Lee Jun-seok One Day Before Leaving the Party... The Difficult Path to Founding a New Party

Rising Han Dong-hoon Issue Limits Impact of Party Defections
Kim Yong-tae Declares Staying in People Power Party as Close Aides Also Leave

Former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok's departure from the party is just one day away. Political attention is focused on Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for the PPP Emergency Response Committee Chairman, and with close aides previously classified as the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' declaring their intention to remain in the PPP, concerns are rising that the momentum for forming a new party may weaken.

Lee is expected to announce his departure at a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. on the 27th. In this regard, Rep. Heo Eun-ah has reserved the National Assembly Communication Office, leading to speculation that it might be Lee's departure press conference, although there remains a possibility that the venue or other details could change.

Aside from the departure date, no specific details have been finalized. The possibility of his close aides joining him is also uncertain. Among the pro-Lee Jun-seok group known as 'Cheon-A-Yong-In' (Cheon Ha-ram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, Lee Gi-in), former PPP Supreme Council member Kim Yong-tae has declared his intention to stay. Proportional representative Heo Eun-ah would lose her seat if she leaves the party, and Cheon Ha-ram, former head of the Suncheon Gap district party committee in Jeonnam, would lose his party committee chairmanship. It remains to be seen whether this will lead to a joint departure.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Coincidentally, Lee's departure schedule overlaps with Han's inauguration schedule. Han, the nominee for Emergency Response Committee Chairman, is expected to be officially appointed through the party's National Committee on the same day. Han will have to handle major political tasks such as appointing committee members and taking a stance on the special investigation law concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee. Naturally, Lee is likely to be sidelined in terms of issue dominance within the ruling party.

In political circles, there is an analysis that Lee's path back to the PPP has been cut off. Former PPP Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in said in a joint interview with nine local broadcasters including KBC on the 24th, "If Lee re-joins the PPP, his political career will be over."

Within the party, there are also criticisms that prematurely announcing the departure date without political consideration was a mistake. Yoon Hee-seok, senior spokesperson for the PPP, said, "If Han, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman nominee, leads the party toward change and innovation, there would be no reason for Lee to leave, but setting the departure date as the 27th is a strategic mistake." It is pointed out that Lee is being forced to leave hastily without even having time to find common ground after Han's inauguration.

Inside the PPP, some consider Lee's departure and the formation of a new party as a fait accompli and suggest that alliances should be sought during the general election phase. Rep. Ha Tae-kyung said in an MBC radio interview, "Lee once said he is not anti-President Yoon Suk-yeol," adding, "If the party stance is somewhat non-Yoon, it is possible to consider party-to-party alliances in the general election."

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