Lee Jun-seok: "Yoon Seok-yeol's Party Entry and Merger with Ahn Cheol-soo Both Easy Issues... A Simple Linear Equation Problem"

"Yoon Seok-yeol's Party Entry Likely in August"
"Must Settle Merger with Ahn Cheol-soo through Final Negotiations"
Urgent Issue Is Merger with the People's Party

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is delivering a greeting at the 'Young Generation Research Lab Season 2' meeting held on the 28th at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, aimed at improving priority vaccination for the sports sector. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, described the current issues such as former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s party entry and the merger with the People’s Party as ‘easy problems’ on the 29th.

On the 29th, Lee appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and made these remarks regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon’s party entry and the merger with the People’s Party. When the host asked if the current situation was a ‘first-degree equation,’ Lee said, "They are all first-degree equations," adding, "They are all independent variables. For example, many people say there might be a third-party link between Yoon’s party entry issue and the merger issue with Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, and wonder if they are connected. (But) they are completely separate," he said.

Regarding the negotiations with the People’s Party, which ended without an agreement, Lee said, "In the case of the merger issue with Ahn, there were communication difficulties with Representative Kwon Eun-hee, who has led the negotiation team so far, on Ahn’s side. However, when I met Ahn, his will for opposition unification or opposition integration was clear," adding, "Even if there are misunderstandings, they can be resolved through talks between leaders."

On the issue of former Prosecutor General Yoon’s party entry, Lee predicted, "(The entry timing) will be in August." He said, "Since some party district committee chairpersons joined Yoon’s campaign, and they are not unfamiliar with party affairs but have been active in the party, they must have consulted with Yoon. If it is not an August entry, bringing them in would be a misstep, so I definitely think it will be August."

He also said the exact timing of the party entry is unknown. Lee said, "There is talk that former President Park Geun-hye might be pardoned on the 15th of next month, and since I will be on vacation from the 9th to the 13th, there is speculation that the entry might happen before the 9th, but I have not received any notice," adding, "It is impossible to predict."

He also reaffirmed that if former Prosecutor General Yoon does not join the party, disciplinary procedures will follow against the district committee chairpersons who joined Yoon’s campaign.

Meanwhile, he expressed that the merger with the People’s Party is more urgent than Yoon’s party entry. Lee said, "People like Ahn, who have high public support, should participate in this presidential election to contribute to its success," adding, "I want to ask the People’s Party to consider the schedule more quickly. Yoon is not affiliated with the party, so his case is simpler, but a merger requires agreement on the party platform and policies, so it will take at least about two weeks."