Lee Jun-seok, Advocating for the Abolition of Quotas, Tells Female Trainees "Do Not Be Afraid"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, attended the entrance ceremony of the 4th Women's Political Academy held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 21st, and is taking a commemorative photo with the attendees. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party who advocates for the abolition of the 'female quota system,' told women participating in an internal party education program, "Do not have any fear about whether you can do that or take on such a role."

On the 21st, at the People Power Party headquarters during the '4th Women's Political Academy for the 2022 Presidential Election Victory and Regime Creation,' Lee said, "Once a fair competition ground is established, I have the expectation that women and the younger generation in our party will be able to compete without any disadvantage, more so than any method proposed by other parties."

The Women's Political Academy is an educational program conducted over three weeks starting from this day, aimed at nurturing female political talents who will contribute to the party's victory in next year's presidential election. In this fourth session, it was identified that 15 out of 40 attendees, or 40%, were women in their 20s and 30s.

Lee, who has advocated for the abolition of the female quota system since his primary candidate days, also stated on MBC Radio's 'Politician Insider' on the 12th, "The leadership could be 70% women."

Regarding this, he emphasized, "I never dreamed that three female supreme council members would emerge in our party," adding, "Gender should no longer be a criterion." He further said, "If we compete based on ability and select and utilize people according to their skills, sometimes it could be 100% men, and other times 100% women."

He then mentioned the debate battle currently recruiting applicants, saying, "If you are a female leader here, you should definitely aim for it," and "I urge every single one of you here to compete in the debate battle without exception."