Lee Seok-hyun: "Absorptive Integration? Nonsense, Big Tent Possible Without Lee Won-wook and Jo Eung-cheon"

"I Nak-yeon, Agreed to Only Serve as Advisor"

Lee Won-wook and Cho Eung-cheon, lawmakers who left the Democratic Party, rejected joining 'New Future' led by former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, saying "absorption integration is in line with principles," while Lee Seok-hyun, co-chairman of the New Future joint founding committee, rebutted, calling it "nonsense."

On the 5th, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "Former leader Lee Nak-yeon had agreed to serve only as an advisor without taking the party leader position," adding, "Among the two who did not come, one was designated as the sole party leader, and the other was appointed as the negotiation representative for talks with Lee Jun-seok's new party."

New Future Co-Leader Lee Nak-yeon is speaking at the 1st Responsibility Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "Former leader Lee Nak-yeon originally was not in an active position to do something himself but rather intended to give everything up," and questioned, "So he had agreed to serve as an advisor, so how could that be absorption integration?"

Lee said that the Future Grand Alliance (former Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Jong-min, Lee Won-wook, Cho Eung-cheon, former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-seok, and former People Power Party lawmaker Jung Tae-geun) proposed the party name for integration five times, but it took a long time to decide on the tentative name 'Reform Future Party' because the five members could not unify their opinions.

He said, "Why did it take so long over the party name? Even though we proposed it five times, it was rejected. Later, I heard that the five members could not reach a consensus," adding, "Two members of the Future Grand Alliance thought we should first consider integration with Lee Jun-seok's new party, two others thought since we came from the opposition, we should first work with Lee Nak-yeon's new party from the opposition and then achieve overall grand integration later, and one member had an independent stance."

Regarding concerns that the departure of lawmakers Lee Won-wook and Cho Eung-cheon might cause setbacks in the third zone big tent movement, he explained, "The new party is a challenge to established parties and the beginning of new politics. It is important to discover many new talents and present fresh candidates," adding, "The media seems to be overly fixated on current lawmakers joining, but it is not necessarily so." He added, "Even if the two do not come, the big tent can still be formed," and "Integration with Lee Jun-seok's new party and our side is open."

On the role of former leader Lee Nak-yeon in the general election, he said, "(Former leader Lee Nak-yeon) has no intention of becoming a lawmaker. He has maintained that he will not run but will support the election, and I believe that will continue," explaining, "Because during the election, he will be asked to campaign support in various regions nationwide, and if the party leader runs in a district, how can he travel nationwide?"

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