Lee Jun-seok, Lee Nak-yeon, and Geum Tae-seop Gathered Together... 'Big Tent Key Figures' Met

Representative Yang Hyang-ja Attends Book Launch Event
Intensive Discussions Begin to Break the Two-Party Dominance

On the 9th, Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the Reform New Party (tentative name) Policy Committee who left the People Power Party, and Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, both attended the publication celebration of Yang Hyang-ja, representative of Korea's Hope, side by side. With Geum Tae-seop, co-representative of New Choice and a non-mainstream member of the Democratic Party, also present, discussions on forming a third-party 'big tent' aiming to break the two-party dominance ahead of the general election are gaining momentum.

At the event held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, former leader Lee gave a congratulatory speech, saying, "We gathered with a desperate sense of crisis that if we do not break the fortress-like vested interests of the two major parties, South Korea will collapse," and added, "Representative Yang's spirit of challenge will greatly contribute to creating a new political structure."

Following him, Chairman Lee took the podium and said, "Former leader Lee mentioned that 'we need to create a priming water and he himself will play the role of the residual water,' but naturally, that voice must include the voices of all people, including those who have led us," hinting at the possibility of alliance. He also continued his criticism toward the ruling party, stating, "Some say that because the public has great distrust in Yeouido politics, we must shed the Yeouido dialect," and emphasized, "I have no intention of accepting the Seocho-dong dialect, their own language, as another dialect to replace the Yeouido dialect."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In political circles, since the two former leaders have previously expressed favorable messages regarding cooperation, the possibility of a Nak-Jun alliance and further the realization of a third-party big tent is increasing.

Both former leaders share the common denominator of leaving their respective major parties to form new parties. In an interview with a media outlet last month, former leader Lee referred to Chairman Lee as "a rare talent in politics. We will meet when the time comes." Chairman Lee also recently praised former leader Lee on a YouTube broadcast, calling him "someone capable of breaking stereotypes with boldness." Former leader Lee has announced his intention to leave the Democratic Party on the 11th.

However, despite the friendly appearances, obstacles remain. The biggest issue is the proportional representation nomination. Regarding the possibility of alliance with former leader Lee, Chairman Lee said, proportional representation nominations would be handled separately, while for constituency seats, parties could merge to run candidates or run under a single ballot number, etc. However, there are many hurdles to overcome before this can lead to an actual electoral alliance.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party reformist group 'Principles and Common Sense' is expected to declare their departure on the 10th. Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon appeared on SBS Radio that day and said, "Originally, we requested to set a deadline until the end of the year to form a unified emergency committee," but criticized, "We have never received proper responses to our earnest demands." He warned that Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has "one day left," and if there is no response to the demand for transition to a unified emergency committee on the premise of resignation from the leadership within the day, he will hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office the next day to announce his departure from the party.

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