Lee Jeong-hyun: "If There Are Too Many Prosecutor Nominations, Public Resistance May Occur"

"Whether Prosecutor or Not Is Not Important, But Should Be Restrained"
"Most Wants to Run in Gwangju... Also Considering Suncheon and Gokseong"

Lee Jung-hyun, a former lawmaker and former leader of the Saenuri Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), commented on the speculation about prosecutor nominations for the 22nd general election, a key issue for the ruling party, saying, "(There could be) quite a few prosecutor nominations," and noted that "in the cases of Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang in Jeonnam, 6 out of 7 are lawyers, and most of them are former prosecutors." However, he also mentioned that if there are too many prosecutor nominations, it could face public resistance.

Lee, whose constituency was Suncheon in Jeonnam, appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 28th and gave examples such as "two Yeosu lawmakers are lawyers, a Suncheon lawmaker is a lawyer, a Yeosu lawmaker is a lawyer, the Suncheon mayor is a lawyer, and the Yeosu mayor is a lawyer," arguing that "whether they are prosecutors or not is not the important thing."

Former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 8th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Lee said, "Whether they are prosecutors or anyone else, as long as they are sustainable politicians who do not fall behind the Democratic Party candidates in terms of career, academic background, or love for the region, and who continuously engage in political work in the area, they can definitely compete."

However, he added, "If the president is to lead for five years, naturally, people who fit well might take roles, but if the next nominations are almost entirely covered by prosecutors or if there are too many prosecutors, the public will naturally resist," and urged, "To win elections, the People Power Party leadership must exercise restraint in such matters."

Regarding his own candidacy for the general election, the former leader said, "I will 100% run in Honam," adding, "My hometown is Gokseong, but whether I run in Gwangyang of Gokseong County, Suncheon, or ideally in Gwangju, I will decide around December." He continued, "Right now, I want to play a role in connecting and representing the entire Gwangju and Jeonnam regions for the ruling party, as if it is a matter of life or death."

On the rising wind of a third-party movement, including the formation of a new party ahead of the general election, he said, "I've seen this since I started in politics. It is a constant that appears every election. This third party, third force is not a variable but a constant."

Lee emphasized, "People who are not treated well or are dissatisfied with existing parties come out and (form new parties), but if the same people just change their clothes and move from one party to another, coaching like this and that, the new party will never succeed."

However, he said, "I think forming a new political force entirely with green parties or completely with young people can be a challenge worth taking on."