Lee Nak-yeon hints at alliance with Lee Jun-seok..."Generational unity and harmony between veterans and newcomers"

Regarding the Lee Nak-yeon - Lee Jun-seok Alliance
"Veteran and Rookie Will Harmonize"
After Talk on Low Birthrate and Aging Policies
"No Major Differences in the Big Picture"

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon is leaving the conference room after holding a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 11th, where he announced his resignation from the party and the establishment of a new party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, who left the Democratic Party, described his plan for a ‘third zone’ alliance with former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok as “a model for generational integration,” explaining that “if compared to professional sports, it is a harmony between a veteran and a rookie.”

On the 12th, Lee Nak-yeon appeared on MBC’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and said, “Former leader Lee Jun-seok has become a symbol of youth politics, and I, if I may say so, represent an experienced politician. In that sense, I think it could be a model for generational integration.” When asked about Lee Jun-seok’s remark about Lee Nak-yeon, saying “we need to get rid of solemnity,” he responded, “It’s good advice.”

Lee Nak-yeon also mentioned that he recently had a dialogue with Lee Jun-seok in the monthly magazine Shindonga, and as a result, “we confirmed that there is not much difference in the big picture regarding policies such as how South Korea should survive and how to address low birth rates.”

Former leader of the Democratic Party, Lee Nak-yeon, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 11th, announcing his resignation from the party and the formation of a new party, and is answering questions from the press. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Lee Nak-yeon referred to the past DJP coalition, diagnosing that “DJ was the most representative figure of the progressive camp, and Kim Jong-pil, then chairman, was a representative figure of the conservative camp.” He said, “Those people formed a government together. However, Lee Jun-seok and I do not have that level of difference, and we are not proposing to form a coalition government immediately.”

Regarding his remarks at the press conference held the previous day when he left the party, stating that the Democratic Party has become a ‘one-man party,’ he elaborated that the party is so divided that the ‘mainstream’ and ‘non-mainstream’ factions are close to a 10 to 0 ratio. Lee said, “Traditionally, even when party leadership changed, the Democratic Party maintained a 6 to 4 ratio between mainstream and non-mainstream factions. Now it is 10 to 0. The culture revealed through words and actions has never been this fierce.”

Lee emphasized, “The current form of supporters is different from those during Chairman Kim Dae-jung’s era,” adding, “It was not as violent or full of curses to that extent. Now, words that should not be uttered by politicians are rampant and widespread.” He added, “Words like ‘execution’ and ‘purge’ are used as everyday language, and I hope that people who know the boundaries of politics and can distinguish what politicians can and cannot do will gather in the new party.”