Lee Jun-seok: "Report if you receive support calls for a specific candidate under the party branch name"

"If Not a Leak, Phone Number Cannot Be Obtained"

Former Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former leader Lee Jun-seok has requested reports if phone calls supporting a specific candidate are being made under the name of party associations in relation to the March 8 People Power Party leadership election.

On the 2nd, through Facebook, former leader Lee said, "If you receive phone calls supporting a specific candidate under the name of a party association when the membership list has not even been provided, please record the call and send it to me. I will disclose everything and report it to the Election Commission," sharing his email address.

He further explained, "Unless the party association leaked phone numbers to a specific candidate, it is impossible to have the phone numbers now." This is interpreted as pointing out that there may be movements influencing the election results ahead of the leadership election.

The presence of former leader Lee, who stepped down last year, seems to be gradually growing as the leadership election approaches. Pro-Lee Jun-seok faction figures are consecutively throwing their hats into the ring for party leader and supreme council member elections.

Cheon Ha-ram, former party association chairman of Suncheon-gap, Jeonnam, who is considered a close aide of former leader Lee, is reportedly running for party leader. Pro-Lee faction members, Representative Heo Eun-ah and former youth supreme council member Kim Yong-tae, have also declared their candidacies for the supreme council member election in this leadership election. Former leader Lee serves as the sponsor chairman for Representative Heo and former supreme council member Kim.

With former leader Lee's emergence, the pro-Yoon faction's checks and balances are also intensifying. Representative Park Sung-joong held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the same day and stated, "Former leader Lee received a heavy disciplinary action from the Ethics Committee just six months ago due to allegations of destroying evidence related to sexual bribery. Lee, whose party membership rights are suspended and who has no voting rights, acting as a sponsor chairman or campaigning for a specific person is an illegal election intervention violating party rules and regulations."

In response, former leader Lee rebutted, "Did Lee Jun-seok coerce anyone to withdraw? Did he arbitrarily change the rules? Did he participate in a group lynching of anyone? Surprisingly, Lee Jun-seok did nothing."