Lee Myung-su Mentioned as Cutoff Target... "Give Me a Chance in the Primary"

On the 21st, Lee Myung-soo, a member of the People Power Party, opposed the possibility of being cut off (excluded from the primary). He stated that if he receives a cut-off notification from the party, he will take all possible procedures, including filing for a rehearing. He refrained from commenting on the possibility of leaving the party or other forms of dissent.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Lee said, "It is very regrettable and disappointing that I am included among the so-called cut-off candidates based on the criteria for excluding candidates revealed through the media." He added, "I want to ask whether the cut-off criteria were properly established and whether the judgment of electability was made based on just one opinion poll." He opposed the leak of the cut-off list to the media without prior notice to the affected individuals, saying, "This is neither normal nor proper." Lee also said, "I suggest to the head of the nomination committee to verify electability again through a primary and take a closer look."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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At a meeting with reporters, Lee stated, "I have not yet received any official notification." Regarding the reason for holding the press conference based only on some media reports that he was a cut-off candidate, he explained, "The media reports have been formalized, so I wanted to inform you in advance."

Lee said, "Besides quantitative evaluations such as legislative activities and attendance rates at the National Assembly, I also think there was a shadow of political conspiracy in the qualitative evaluations." He mentioned, "I believe that the political background related to my decision not to run for governor of Chungnam Province in the last local election played a similar role again."

Advocating for a primary election, Lee said, "It is not desirable to nominate a single candidate when competitiveness is similar or comparable." He added, "If that (the demand for a primary) is not accepted, I will do my best to file objections or take other possible actions." However, when reporters asked about the possibility of running as an independent if the cut-off is confirmed, Lee said, "I am not considering that."

Regarding the system nomination conducted this time, he said, "I view the attempt positively," but added, "Qualitative evaluations involve many subjective factors and can vary greatly, so it is necessary to minimize such aspects."

Lee originally announced a press conference for that morning but canceled it. Regarding this, he explained, "I intended to urge the party to speed up the nomination process as it was delayed in the morning, but since I was mentioned as a cut-off candidate in the media, I held the press conference."

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