Lee Nak-yeon Criticizes Reform New Party's 'Minus Integration' Claim: "Existing Parties Must Reflect First"

'Reform New Party' Holds First Leadership Meeting, Big Tent Strategy in Full Swing
Lee Nak-yeon "Leaving the Country Only to Two Parties Brings Crisis"

Lee Jun-seok (left) and Lee Nak-yeon, co-leaders of the Reform New Party, are moving to greet Lunar New Year travelers at Yongsan Station in Seoul on the morning of the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Nak-yeon, co-representative of the Reform New Party, responded to criticisms of the ‘third zone integration’ being called a patchwork of temporary alliances, mergers, and confusion by saying, “The reason four new parties have emerged is because existing parties have disappointed the public,” adding, “Reflection should come first.” This was a rebuttal to remarks from both ruling and opposition parties expressing doubts about the purity of the Reform New Party, which was abruptly unified on the 9th, such as “I have doubts about its purity” (Kim Ye-ryeong, People Power Party lawmaker) and “a negative integration” (Jung Cheong-rae, Democratic Party Supreme Council member).

On the 13th, appearing on SBS’s Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show, Lee responded to the host’s comment that “the phrase ‘patchwork’ is often used by the two major parties when criticizing” by asking, “Are they in a position to disparage a newly formed party?” He also said, “They should be more concerned about the Democratic Party.”

He mentioned that the value the Reform New Party aims for is “pragmatic progressivism.” He said, “The party name ‘Reform New Party’ was given by people who came from the conservative side. That means they intend to reform. When President Kim Dae-jung established the National Congress for New Politics in 1995, he described it as ‘a moderate reform for the common people and middle class, excluding reactionary Cold War forces and radical reformists,’ and that expression feels similar to what is being attributed to me now.”

Lee stated, “Since various forces have come together, we need to find the greatest common denominator. It will be common in the sense that we are responsibly working to change the Republic of Korea.”

When asked about the values he shares with Lee Jun-seok, he said, “We share the sense of crisis that entrusting the country only to the two major parties could lead to the nation’s downfall.” He elaborated, “It is about presenting a new alternative to the current two-party, faction-centered system and creating a gap for change.” Regarding Lee Jun-seok’s mention of a ‘Reform New Party-centered integration,’ he said, “Everyone thinks they are the center. I hope they approach it with the mindset that they are the owner.”

Lee said, “Those who have come out to form a new party, including myself, prioritize the nation over factions,” adding, “We are people who consider how to coordinate diverse opinions and lead harmoniously, and how to reconcile differences.”

Meanwhile, earlier on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Reform New Party, New Future, New Choice, and Principles and Common Sense declared their integration on the 9th. After Principles and Common Sense lawmakers Lee Won-wook and Cho Eung-cheon proposed the formation of a third zone integration nomination management committee on the 6th, the ‘Third Zone New Party Roundtable’ was held from the 7th, and within three days, they reached an agreement on the merger. The biggest issue in the integration was the party name, and the breakthrough came when the name was finalized as Lee Jun-seok’s Reform New Party. The Reform New Party held its first Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly that day and officially began its activities.

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