Lee Jun-seok "Absorption Merger? A Compromise for Integration Synergy"

"Proportional Nomination Rules Cannot Be Disclosed in Advance... Strategic Judgment"

As the four third-zone forces (Reform New Party, New Future, New Choice, and Principles and Common Sense) succeeded in forming a big tent just over two months before the general election, Lee Jun-seok, co-representative of the Reform New Party, revealed the background of the 'surprise merger.'

On the 13th, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "Even if we have a high probability of winning in the opinion poll primaries to create synergy through integration, rather than pushing it through, there was a consensus among the negotiation team that it is right to handle it through some compromise." He added, "Ultimately, the party name will remain Reform New Party, and we decided to proceed with an absorption-type merger, inviting Representative Lee Nak-yeon as co-representative and honoring him accordingly."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, is greeting people returning home for Lunar New Year on the morning of the 9th at Yongsan Station in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee explained, "In any case, it is natural to show respect to the other parties during the merger process," and said, "We judged that handling it through negotiation procedures when processing it with the election commission is better for the upcoming election, so we agreed to do so in the form of an absorption merger."

Regarding former lawmaker Heo Eun-ah, who joined the Reform New Party after leaving the People Power Party and expressed disappointment about the merger process, saying she was "in a position to be informed of the results," Lee said, "In a situation where full authority negotiations were taking place, naturally, only the four negotiation representatives and those seated beside them were involved, and the negotiation conditions were not disclosed externally. Later, during the explanation process, all misunderstandings were cleared up."

On the movement of existing Reform New Party members leaving after the third-zone integration, he said, "We intended to send an email to all members to express our intentions, but we couldn't finish writing it because we were conducting merger negotiations during the holiday period," adding, "There will probably be an opportunity to explain such circumstances or the vision going forward to the party members."

Lee Jun-seok, co-representative of the Reform New Party, is speaking at the first temporary leadership meeting of the Reform New Party held at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

Additionally, Lee asked for understanding as it is difficult to disclose detailed matters regarding party operations such as proportional representation nominations. He said, "It's not that we intend to hide anything, but we have to make strategic judgments," and added, "If I talk about these things and they get reported, it becomes impossible to actually do anything."

He further explained, "For example, if the rules for proportional representation nominations are announced in advance and procedures are promoted regarding that, a significant number of candidates running in constituencies might declare their intention to run for proportional representation. If that happens, there would be no one left to run in the constituencies, and hundreds of people might concentrate only on running for proportional representation."

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