Lee Jun-seok "Not testing the waters... Will act once confident"
Jang Ye-chan also criticizes "Shaking the party with a set date"
Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok reiterated his intention to establish a new party on December 27 if there is no change in President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration. He emphasized his move toward founding a new party by stating that he has secured a contact network of about 40,000 supporters.
On the 20th, former leader Lee Jun-seok said he would form a new party if there is no significant change in the Yoon Suk-yeol government's national policy direction. On MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' he said, "(The party founding declaration) is usually made around the end of December. I am not stalling or testing the waters," adding, "Generally, the public tends to develop interest in the general election about three months prior, and interest in specific candidates or local candidates usually forms about a month before. I plan to act according to the timing."
He continued, "If I hastily establish a party and then suddenly President Yoon receives some revelation or some opportunity arises that immediately corrects everything, what would I become?" and "I will move when I am confident that this will not happen."
Former leader Lee also boasted about the scale of his supporter contact network. He said, "(The supporter contact network) seems to be about 39,500 people," and "If you include everyone, it would be around 100,000."
However, since former leader Lee has neither founded a new party nor declared the establishment of one yet, some remain skeptical. There are views that he has no real intention of founding a new party but is fueling rumors of a new party to 'raise his value.'
On the 16th, People Power Party lawmaker Cho Jung-hoon said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that although former leader Lee is actively appearing on broadcasts, he shows no practical movement toward founding a new party, adding, "Sometimes I wonder if this is just a bluff to change the political situation."
There are also criticisms that mentioning the founding of a new party while maintaining membership in the People Power Party violates political ethics.
Jang Ye-chan, the People Power Party's youth supreme council member, said on the 20th on 'Special KBS1 Radio Today,' "There should be political ethics, but currently, as a member of the People Power Party, and since most of those supporting former leader Lee are probably local party chairpersons or party members of the People Power Party, there is a question of whether such behavior aligns with political ethics."
He added, "Former leader Lee has criticized so-called testing the waters a lot during his political career," and "But now, setting a date and continuously creating issues and shaking the party before that date is no different from the testing the waters he has criticized, which is quite disappointing."
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