Lee Jun-seok "If It Were Me, I Would Go to Gyeyang," Criticizes Lee Nak-yeon's Withdrawal from Candidacy

"Gyeyang Should Be Where Lee Jae-myung's Victims Go...
Hope They Also Consider Running in Honam for Representation"

Lee Jun-seok, Chairman of the Reform New Party's Policy Committee, said on the 19th to former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, "If it were me, I would go to Gyeyang (Eul). It could be a very symbolic move." Gyeyang (Eul) in Incheon is the constituency of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party.

"Lee Nak-yeon should run in Gyeyang as a victim of Lee Jae-myung... I am a victim of Yoon Seok-yeol"

Former leader Lee Nak-yeon, who left the Democratic Party of Korea, is smiling together with Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the Reform Party (provisional name) Policy Committee, at the launch ceremony of Saeroun Mirae held at Seoul Women's Plaza in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, former leader Lee announced his departure from the Democratic Party and the founding of a new party, stating that he would not run in the general election scheduled for April. Regarding this, Chairman Lee appeared on Yonhap News TV's 'News Focus' on the same day and said, "In my case, I have a narrative formed by enduring various attacks from conservative parties, but from former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon's perspective, he has criticized Lee Jae-myung's undemocratic party management a lot," explaining his view.

He added, "Former Prime Minister Lee is a nationally recognized figure, and in a situation where there are not many opportunities to challenge in politics, if he does not take on the challenge at this point, many people including myself would find it somewhat puzzling," and said, "I think the act of challenging is a good thing."

Furthermore, Chairman Lee pointed to 'Honam' as another option for former leader Lee's candidacy in the general election, saying, "In Honam, there is a demand for leaders who represent Honam's values and who know the local situation well, including those who have served as governor of Jeonnam," and added, "Since former Prime Minister Lee has Honam representation, I hope he prioritizes considering that."

When the host asked, "Isn't it possible for you to consider running in Gyeyang (Eul) in Incheon yourself?" Chairman Lee responded, "I am not a victim of Lee Jae-myung. It only makes sense for someone closer to being a victim of Lee Jae-myung to go," and drew a line by saying, "If I had to specify, I am a victim of Yoon Seok-yeol, so it's a somewhat different trajectory."

Meanwhile, Lee Won-wook, co-representative of the Future Great Union and member of the National Assembly, publicly suggested former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon run in Gwangju. Appearing on TV Chosun's YouTube channel, Lee said, "If it is necessary to save the party, I ask him to run in a place like Gwangju and play a major role in completely changing the public sentiment there." He emphasized, "Former leader Lee should truly run in Gwangju and show a self-sacrificing spirit. Honestly, just going to the backroom and serving as the election committee chairman and moving around does not make an impact, does it?"

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