Lee Jun-seok: "New Party Formation Is Not Delaying... Will Act at the Right Time"

Former People Power Party Leader Lee Jun-seok MBC Radio Interview
"Han Dong-hoon Conscious of Hardline Supporters... Political Calculations Quick"

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok reiterated his stance that the formation of a new party is not about "stalling," and that the decision to establish a new party will depend on President Yoon Suk-yeol's changes.

On the 20th, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "When Ahn Cheol-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, originally founded the People’s Party, it was probably around the end of January. That's how it usually goes," explaining his position.

Regarding why he has not yet made an official announcement about the party formation, he said, "That usually happens around the end of December. I'm not stalling or testing the waters," adding, "Generally, before a general election, the public tends to develop interest in the election about three months prior, and interest in specific candidates or local candidates usually forms about a month before. We are trying to act according to the timing."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is speaking at the talk concert titled "Generation X and MZ Generation Political Experts Meet to Discuss Political Innovation and Future Vision," held on the afternoon of the 19th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

On the influence of the 'Lee Jun-seok new party,' he said, "Depending on what kind of approval ratings form between mid to late December, it could either explode significantly or launch in a very minimal form," adding, "We need to observe the political phenomena. Recently, Hong Ik-pyo, the Democratic Party floor leader, mentioned that starting December 8, they plan to proceed with National Assembly schedules related to a special investigation on First Lady Kim Keon-hee. I think each of these factors will have a significant impact."

Lee predicted that Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is highly likely to run in next year's general election, saying, "First of all, his recognition is high, and among some conservatives, his support is sufficient, so he will attract considerable attention initially."

He continued, "When I saw Minister Han respond to allegations of election fraud at the Budget and Accounts Committee during the April 15, 2020 general election, I thought at that time that he had political ambitions," adding, "Minister Han is a very rational and intelligent person, so he probably knows that the election fraud allegations are not true, but seeing him hesitate to answer shows he has a lot on his mind."

He added, "He knows that the moment he answers, his support base could potentially collapse," and said, "I think Minister Han is very politically calculating."