It has been reported that former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, who is known to be pushing for a new party, met with Lee Sang-min, a representative figure of the non-Myeong (非明) faction and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Although Lee denied that the meeting was for 'contact to promote a new party,' he left open the possibility of joining the 'Lee Jun-seok new party.' However, another non-Myeong faction member, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon, dismissed this, saying, "At this point, there is no possibility."
On the 7th, in response to a question from the host on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' about the possibility of joining the so-called 'Lee Jun-seok new party,' Lee said, "If it is not a bad thing, the possibility is open in any case," adding, "I think I need to organize my thoughts about my position first before I can say anything further."
While keeping the possibility of joining the new party open, Lee stated that the process of deciding his own position must come first. He said, "Rather than continuing to bicker inside, I have also said that I must be prepared for an amicable separation," and promised to make a decision about his position within a month. This is interpreted as meaning he will announce whether he will join the 'Lee Jun-seok new party' within a month.
Earlier, former leader Lee had revealed in a media interview that he was pushing for a new party and had recently been in contact with non-Myeong faction figures. Subsequent reports identified Lee Sang-min as that non-Myeong faction figure. Lee explained that although he met with former leader Lee for a meal in mid-last month, it was not for discussions related to the new party but rather "an ordinary, casual meeting."
He revealed that during this meeting, he proposed to former leader Lee that he should establish a new party. Lee said, "Rather than trying to do something with the People Power Party and exhausting that energy, how about starting a new party from scratch like entrepreneurs starting a startup?" He added, "There are limits to what former leader Lee can do alone. While he has strengths, there are also limitations, so various forces need to unite."
On the other hand, another non-Myeong faction member, lawmaker Cho, drew a line against joining the 'Lee Jun-seok new party.' On BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' when asked if he was open to the possibility of the 'Lee Jun-seok new party,' Cho replied, "Not at this time," and viewed the possibility of other non-Myeong faction lawmakers joining pessimistically. He said, "No matter how much politics is a living thing, the gap between former leader Lee and the non-Myeong faction is very wide," adding, "Joining the 'Lee Jun-seok new party' does not seem like a very realistic option."
Although Lee left open the possibility of joining the 'Lee Jun-seok new party,' many remain skeptical about whether he will actually join. Former People Power Party emergency committee member Kim Jong-hyuk said on CBS's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Show,' "Lee seems confident that he can win even as an independent," adding, "But the idea that he will join hands with the 'Lee Jun-seok new party' to go forward is, in my view, unlikely."
Lawyer Jang Yoon-mi, a member of the Democratic Party's general election planning team, also said, "It is somewhat difficult to evaluate former leader Lee as a lawmaker who shares values or aspirations with the Democratic Party," adding, "So if an external alliance is formed simply for electoral maneuvering to take a gamble, that is very likely to be a misstep, so I think that choice is quite limited."
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