Lee Junseok: "No Alliance with Oh Sehoon... Negative Outcome Expected for People Power Party Nominations"

"Jang Donghyuk should not follow in the footsteps of Hwang Kyoahn"
"A split in the People Power Party is expected before the next general elections"

Lee Jun-seok, Representative of the Reform New Party, drew a clear line on March 24 regarding the possibility of forming an alliance with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, stating, "I have never considered it." He also predicted a negative outcome in the upcoming election, pointing to discord within the People Power Party's nomination process for local elections.

On the 24th, Lee appeared on YTN Radio's "News Myeongdang" and made these remarks. He commented on the People Power Party's local election nominations, saying, "A very poor result is expected."

Lee Jun-seok, Representative of the Reform New Party. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "From the moment Jang Dong-hyuk became the representative of the People Power Party, I said, 'He should not follow the path of former leader Hwang Kyo-ahn.'" Former leader Hwang stepped down from his position as head of the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) after the crushing defeat in the 2020 general elections.

Lee added, "At that time, the Moon Jae-in administration was still reasonably popular, so I think former leader Hwang believed that as long as he survived politically, that was enough. If current leader Jang is setting his goals in the same direction, it could lead to a disastrous outcome for everyone."

Regarding the People Power Party's nomination turmoil, Lee said, "Nominations are ultimately proven by the results," and added, "If there is a good outcome, Lee Jung-hyun, the head of the nomination committee, will be seen as a hero."

As for the primary race for the mayor of Daegu, he commented, "To put it simply, if Chairwoman Lee Jin-sook and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum go head-to-head, I expect former Prime Minister Kim to win. That's probably why he was excluded from the nomination contest."

On the potential realignment of the conservative bloc after the local elections, Lee said, "I believe that ahead of the next general elections, the People Power Party will be split in two. On one side are those seeking to maintain their vested interests, and on the other are people who believe 'we will all lose even if we receive nominations.' The sense of urgency is much stronger among the latter."

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