"Planning to Devote to the Party Based on Local Constituency Candidacy"
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, stated regarding the alliance with the 'Reform Future Party' led by former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, "We have not shared future pledges or directions, so we are watching cautiously."
On the 31st, Lee, along with floor leader Yang Hyang-ja and Supreme Council member Cheon Ha-ram, visited Sejong and Gwangju for their first local schedule to promote policies. At a press conference held at the Gwangju City Council, Lee said, "I think it is good if the directions are similar," adding, "There have been cases where mergers or alliances without reasonable justification resulted in bad outcomes, so we are approaching this very cautiously."
Floor leader Yang Hyang-ja also said, "Since the Reform Future Party is scheduled to be founded on February 4, discussions will likely be possible after that," adding, "Having experienced a merger, the process is more difficult than imagined and there are many issues to discuss, so realistically, I wonder if it is possible." However, she left room for possibility by saying, "Nevertheless, the public's desire in this general election is to break the two-party structure, so we will join that mandate."
Regarding the Reform New Party leadership's candidacy, Lee Jun-seok responded, "All three of us intend to dedicate ourselves to the party based on running in constituencies." He also expressed the view that nominating many unverified candidates could rather harm the party's strength, and that mergers or alliances simply to secure candidates from Honam would be difficult to gain local support.
Yang Hyang-ja, the incumbent floor leader for Gwangju Seo-gu Eul, avoided a direct answer about running in her constituency, saying, "Discussions with the party leadership remain." She added, "I love semiconductors," and said, "I plan to declare my candidacy before the upcoming Lunar New Year."
Reform New Party leader Lee Jun-seok and floor leader Yang Hyang-ja are promoting general election policies to citizens on their way home at the Sinchang Nadeulmok intersection in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, on the afternoon of the 31st. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Reform New Party plans to publicize issues that established Honam politicians have been passive about due to concerns over conflicts. They presented local pledges such as relocating the Gwangju military airport, operating electric buses on the summit of Mudeungsan Mountain, and promoting the Gwangju Songjeong Station complex transfer center.
Regarding Muan Airport, they supported relocating the military airport to Muan, stating that establishing another runway in Hampyeong would be difficult to gain majority consent. They also expressed the position that electric buses could operate on military roads at the summit of Mudeungsan Mountain based on the Seoul Namsan case, and after assessing demand, discussions on installing a cable car could follow. For Songjeong Station, they emphasized the need to promote the complex transfer center by finding other sites besides the nearby Kumho Tire factory.
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