Yu "I Won't Beg for Nomination" Lee "Yeouido Reconstruction"
Ahn Cheol-soo & Lee Yong-ho "Only United Can Win"
Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min and former leader Lee Jun-seok are drawing the attention of Yeouido political circles over whether they will receive nominations from the People Power Party. Their political choices could become variables that shape the flow of the political landscape beyond next year's general election. Yoo and Lee have highlighted their presence by criticizing President Yoon Seok-yeol and the government's response to political issues.
Since both have not hesitated to deliver sharp criticism toward President Yoon, the prevailing view is that it will be difficult for them to receive nominations from the People Power Party.
In a KBS Radio interview on the 31st of last month, former lawmaker Yoo said about the possibility of running as a People Power Party candidate, "I am so much marked that would they really give me a nomination? I have no intention of begging for a nomination," adding, "I am keeping all possibilities open and considering them."
Former leader Lee recently launched a YouTube channel called 'Yeouido Reconstruction Association' and has begun full-scale activities in preparation for the general election.
However, Lee stated, "Regarding next year's general election, I have never talked with anyone about anything other than what I directly say on broadcasts, and I have no intention to do so."
Regardless of Yoo and Lee's intentions, voices within the ruling party call for forming a 'one team' with the two in the general election. In an election where securing even one more seat is crucial, the judgment is that figures like Yoo and Lee, who have high public recognition, are advantageous for the election. From the People Power Party's perspective, working together with Yoo and Lee can also convey an image of 'accepting internal criticism.'
Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo appeared on YTN's 'News Live' and said, "(The general election) should be fought as a certain degree of one team. Only by uniting tightly can we win; if internal strife breaks out, nomination turmoil occurs, or the party leader goes elsewhere, the public will be disappointed." He added, "It is true that the inclusive side wins, but there is a matter of degree."
Assemblyman Lee Yong-ho also said in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' about Yoo and Lee, "They are the people who rode the same boat in the last presidential election and brought about the Yoon Seok-yeol government," adding, "All of them are responsible for making the Yoon Seok-yeol government successful."
Assemblywoman Yang Geum-hee said in a YTN Radio interview, "I think the party's nominations will be made by comprehensively judging public opinion trends regarding former leader Lee and former lawmaker Yoo," adding, "The party is not thinking of excluding them from now on."
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