Cheon Ha-ram: "I am the No.1 Son-in-law Candidate... Different Style from Lee Jun-seok"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Cheon Ha-ram, a candidate from the 'Lee Jun-seok faction' running in this party convention, sought to differentiate himself from former leader Lee Jun-seok by saying, "I feel like the number one son-in-law material."

On the 15th, on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' Candidate Cheon said, "Those who know me even a little will understand that while I share reform directions and such with former leader Lee, I am a person with a very different style."

Interview_ Cheon Haram, People Power Party Presidential Candidate. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Earlier, Representative Cho Soo-jin, who ran for the People Power Party's Supreme Council, targeted Candidate Cheon by saying, "There must never be a 'second Lee Jun-seok' in this party convention," implying that the party should not repeat the confusion caused by former leader Lee due to incidents like the 'injunction case.'

However, Candidate Cheon said, "If you go to the field, the stark difference between former leader Lee and me is that I am actually more popular among the 60s and 70s age group than the 20s and 30s," adding, "I also feel somewhat like the number one son-in-law material, and perhaps because of that, our party's senior members show me more affection and ask me with youthful vigor to ensure the party does not repeat past mistakes."

He stated, "That does not mean our party will go down the path of becoming a 'second Jinbak discriminator,'" and added, "I clearly say that I will end factional politics that undermine our party's vitality, energy, and diversity. Through the remaining election period, I plan to concretely and directly show that I will minimize discord between myself and the president and lead the party stably."

Regarding the recent surge of the 'party-government unity theory,' with pro-Yoon (친윤) lawmaker Jang Je-won calling for a reconsideration of party-government separation and proposals for President Yoon Seok-yeol to take on the honorary party leader role, Candidate Cheon remarked, "I don't really understand what significance an honorary party leader has," and criticized, "Are we going to create a Yongsan branch office again?"

He continued, "The party's spectrum should actually be broader than the president's. Even if we don't go as far as saying we must fully represent public sentiment, with about 800,000 party members, their opinions are very diverse," and said, "It is normal for some factions within the ruling party to voice critical opinions about the president's policy directions."