'Saeroun Seontaek' Founding Convention... Geum Tae-seop "We Will Win 30 Seats in the General Election"

Advocating a 'Coalition Party' of Rational Progressives and Reformist Conservatives
Geum Tae-seop: "We Must Fix the Winner-Takes-All Imperial Presidency"

Geum Tae-seop, a former member of the Democratic Party and the representative of the New Choice Party Preparatory Committee, which has been leading the third-party new party 'New Choice,' held a founding convention on the 17th and expressed the ambition to challenge the next general election with the goal of securing '30 seats.'

At the founding convention held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Geum Tae-seop, co-representative of New Choice, stated, "New Choice will secure a foothold to fundamentally change Korean politics by winning 30 seats in next year's general election," and added, "In the 2027 presidential election three years from now, we will challenge for power based on the achievements by then, and by 2032, we will establish a new system for the Republic of Korea through constitutional amendment."

On the 17th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party (left), Yang Hyang-ja, leader of Hope of Korea (center), and Geum Tae-seop, co-leader of Saeroun Seontaek, are entering the joint founding conference of Saeroun Seontaek and The Third Power.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

New Choice has raised the banner of a 'third-party coalition party where rational progressives and reformist conservatives come together.'

Co-representative Geum said, "If we cannot overhaul the so-called '1987 system' created 40 years ago, a winner-takes-all presidential system, our politics will not move forward even one step," and argued, "Ultimately, the Republic of Korea must introduce a parliamentary system through constitutional amendment." He also proposed achieving 'owning a house by the age of thirty' through the establishment of a youth housing fund and a quasi-public system for private education, emphasizing, "These are issues not even discussed in the current political arena, but if politics is properly restored, these goals are entirely achievable."

Co-representative Cho Seong-ju, formerly of the Justice Party, criticized the current political situation as "camp politics trapped in fandom and veto." He added, "This is why former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is criticized by Yoon's core supporters, Geum Tae-seop is criticized by the Democratic Party's hardline supporters, and Representative Ryu Ho-jeong is criticized within the Justice Party." Co-representative Cho emphasized again, "Both rational progressives and reformist conservatives must create hope together," and said, "Starting today, we will move forward as a larger party under the banners of freedom, common sense, and daily life."

Geum Tae-seop, Co-representative of New Choice (right), and Ryu Ho-jeong, Justice Party lawmaker [Image source=Yonhap News]

After recently leaving the Justice Party, Co-representative Cho joined New Choice and took on the role of co-representative alongside Geum. Earlier, Representative Ryu Ho-jeong, who was part of the Justice Party's youth opinion group 'The Third Power' along with Cho, declared on the 8th that she would form a new party with New Choice. On the 11th, Geum and Representative Ryu also proposed gender policies to be pursued by New Choice, including promoting gender equality in military service and the full implementation of paternity leave for men.

Currently, Representative Ryu maintains her status as a proportional representation member of the Justice Party, and the Justice Party has demanded that she resign from her proportional representation seat and resolve her party affiliation.

According to the Public Official Election Act, if Representative Ryu voluntarily leaves the Justice Party, she will lose her proportional representation seat, which will then be succeeded by the Justice Party. Conversely, if the Justice Party expels or dismisses Representative Ryu, she retains her seat, and the Justice Party cannot designate a successor candidate, resulting in a reduction of the party's number of seats.