Kim Jong-min: "Lee Jun-seok made 3 proposals to Lee Nak-yeon, 2 were rejected... Not true"

Kim Jong-min, the Supreme Council Member of the Reform New Party, addressed the recent conflicts within the Reform New Party on the 18th.

On the morning of the same day, Kim held a press briefing on political issues at the central party meeting room of Saeroun Mirae in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "The report that Co-Representative Lee Jun-seok proposed three things and two were rejected is completely untrue." He added that discussions are currently underway with alternatives.

Earlier, it was reported that Co-Representative Lee Jun-seok demanded from Co-Representative Lee Nak-yeon’s side that all party leadership members run for local constituencies, that Lee Jun-seok himself decide on overall publicity in consultation with the co-chairs of both sides’ joint policy committees, and that party positions and nominations be excluded for individuals who caused controversies.

Kim emphasized, "The democratic principle is that if problematic individuals are to be excluded or punished, it must be done according to established procedures," and added, "Most of the Saeroun Mirae leadership do not even know who former Vice-Chairman Bae is, and no one is suggesting giving him a nomination."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also drew a line, saying, "For the party leader to declare on Facebook that nominations will not be given and to demand that this be publicly declared to Co-Representative Lee Nak-yeon is neither in line with democratic principles nor respectful to the parties involved in the merger."

Regarding the issue of the leadership running for local constituencies, Kim agreed. He said, "All party leadership and key party officials want to run for local constituencies rather than proportional representation."

Kim stressed, "No matter how excellent an individual’s skills are, they cannot surpass the power of collective wisdom and discussion," and added, "We must uphold democratic principles and the spirit of consensus."

He further stated, "Although not publicly, there needs to be an internal process of apology and understanding regarding the confusion so far," and concluded, "I hope such incidents never happen again."

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