"Lee Jun-seok Faction Must Maintain Political Decorum"
"Lee Jun-seok and Cheon Ha-ram's Nomination Viewed Negatively"
Shin Pyeong, a lawyer known as President Yoon Seok-yeol's mentor, evaluated the possibility of former leader Lee Jun-seok, who failed to get the candidates he supports into the leadership during this People Power Party convention, founding a conservative new party as "not having enough power to do so."
On the 9th, on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' when asked by the host about "the possibility of former leader Lee or former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min leaving the party to found a conservative new party," Lawyer Shin said, "Established parties are unlikely to accept them, and if they clearly define their own line, they might found a conservative new party, but do they really have the power to do so?"
The four candidates from the Lee Jun-seok faction, who caused a stir by all passing the cut-off this time, failed to enter the leadership. Lawyer Shin said that while some of them should be appointed to give opportunities as a 'balanced personnel' measure, he drew a line regarding former leader Lee and candidate Chun Ha-ram, who ran for party leader. He said, "If we give some of them opportunities, we can give nominations," but added, "Realistically, people like former party leader Lee or candidate Chun have gone too far. Can we really give them nominations? I view this negatively."
He also criticized the election strategy of the 'Lee Jun-seok faction.' He said, "I hope they maintain some political dignity," and added, "Candidates like Chun openly displayed catchphrases on election posters that represented male genitalia." The Lee Jun-seok faction had caused controversy with the catchphrase 'Vote for Chun Ha-ram to protect free political speech (CheonjjikXX),' and explained it was a parody of former leader Hong Joon-pyo's presidential campaign slogan, but Lawyer Shin rebutted, "Hong Mayor's past posters did not explicitly include male genitalia."
With Kim Ki-hyun, a 'pro-Yoon (친윤)' faction candidate, elected as party leader in this convention, there are many voices expressing concern about the 'Yoon Seok-yeol presidential shrine' phenomenon. Former lawmaker Yoo criticized the convention results on his social media, stating, "Over the past eight months, President Yoon Seok-yeol has destroyed free and fair competition and ultimately turned the People Power Party into a 'Yoon Seok-yeol shrine' monopolized by one president."
However, Lawyer Shin said, "According to Article 8 of the party constitution, titled 'Relationship between the Party and the President,' the party and the president share responsibility to the people, and the party and government establish a close cooperative relationship. It is regrettable that some people ignore this and make extreme claims that the president's involvement in party affairs damages intra-party democracy in a very emotional and illogical way." He also mentioned that it is entirely possible to appoint President Yoon as an 'honorary party leader.'
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