Lee Jun-seok "Yoo Seung-min Holds Some Negative Views on Integration... Must Reform if He Wants to Participate in the General Election"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee Jun-seok, Supreme Council Member of the United Future Party, emphasized that former New Conservative Party's Conservative Reconstruction Committee Chairman Yoo Seung-min holds a negative view on the current conservative unification and stated that if they want Yoo to participate in the general election, the United Future Party must undergo reform.

On the 18th, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "If there is any atmosphere within the party hoping for Yoo's active participation in the general election, I think we must actively engage in personnel reform."

The day before, the Liberty Korea Party, New Conservative Party, and Forward to the Future 4.0 (Jeonjin Party) merged to launch the United Future Party, but Yoo, one of the key figures in the unification, did not attend the event, leading to speculation that he might be uncomfortable with the unification.

Regarding this, Lee said, "It is related to Yoo's personal disposition, and when he has to make political decisions or take political responsibility, he usually goes into seclusion or self-reflection for a considerable period. One point to note is that Yoo indeed held somewhat negative views about this form of unification."

Lee explained that Yoo's absence from the event was also a form of pressure for reform. He said, "(Yoo) is likely to take a wait-and-see stance, and rather than expressing dissatisfaction, by not speaking or by withholding participation for now, he is applying silent pressure. The most imminent puzzle is ultimately the personnel reform targeting entrenched figures in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region."

Lee also expressed some regret about the unification but noted there is room for reform. He said, "I also have many regrets, but what we must watch is that political parties usually undergo significant personnel changes before a general election. If so-called reform conservatives or those with strong reform tendencies remain in the party through this general election nomination, there is a point where the party's very constitution can be changed."

Lee criticized some former Liberty Korea Party members who demanded Yoo run in difficult constituencies. He said, "I think it is a paradoxical situation where people dislike Yoo but still say he is needed, and such contradictory claims should be withdrawn. Those who have made aggressive remarks against Yoo or have belittled reform conservative values cannot be seen as sincere when they now hope Yoo will lead the metropolitan area election by running in the metropolitan area."