"Discipline would have ended with the first one, then Jeondae would have come out"
"I didn't mediate Kim Ki-hyun, I gave him a chance to score"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former Representative Lee Jun-seok spoke out about President Yoon Seok-yeol's controversy over 'interference in party affairs.' Regarding the Presidential Office's remark, "President Yoon pays 3 million won monthly in party dues, so how can he not have a say?" Lee retorted, "When I was the representative, I also paid over 2 million won in party dues, but they didn't listen to me."
On the 7th, on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' former Representative Lee said, "Party leaders who pay nearly 2 million won in dues are always criticizing from behind the scenes, and now that some people pay 3 million won, they want to speak up? Are they joking?"
He said, "The Presidential Office keeps saying they want to take responsibility and lead the general election under their command, and as long as the premise is winning, people are not worried," adding, "But didn't we see the so-called Team Yoon core members' abilities during the presidential election?" He implied that if the election is lost, the president could take the blame.
He positively evaluated the surge of candidate Cheon Ha-ram, whom he supports. Former Representative Lee said, "Around this time during the last party convention in 2021, I entered the first opinion poll with 13%," adding, "Candidate Cheon started with 8% or 9% despite having much lower recognition than me, so that's not bad."
He also expressed regret, saying that if it were not for the party's two disciplinary actions, he would have run in the party convention. He said, "If the first disciplinary action had ended, I would have run now. It ended on January 7," adding, "They imposed another disciplinary action to prevent me from running." The People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee had issued an additional one-year suspension of party membership last October over his remarks such as 'Yangduguyuk' (a Korean idiom meaning 'a dog in sheep's clothing').
He also mentioned the social media posts of lawyer Kang Shin-up, who was disqualified in the party representative document screening. He said, "Lawyer Kang posted a bold message on Facebook, calling it a 'shitty party.' There are days when I somewhat share Kang's opinion," adding, "I won't use Kang's harsh expressions, but it's surprising to see such a relatable Facebook post from him."
Regarding the claim by pro-Yoon candidate Kim Ki-hyun that he mediated the conflict between former Representative Lee and President Yoon in Ulsan, Lee said the opposite: "Kim went to Ulsan to give himself a chance to gain credit," adding, "If my intention had been to prevent Candidate Yoon from winning the election, I would have gone to Gwangju."
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