Yoon Seok Lee, Mokpo City National Assembly Preliminary Candidate, Declares Independent Candidacy

"The Current Democratic Party System Makes Primary Competition Impossible"

"Expulsion Without Notice or Procedure"...Criticism of the Democratic Party's Conduct

Yi Yun-seok, a preliminary candidate for Mokpo City National Assembly member, has declared his independent candidacy for the upcoming April general election.

On the 6th at 10 a.m., Yi held a press conference in the Citizens' Room of the Mokpo City Council, stating, "I am running to accomplish great things for Mokpo. However, under the current Democratic Party system, it was impossible to even compete in the primary," and added, "I have decided to temporarily leave the Democratic Party and run in the general election independently."

On the 6th, preliminary candidate Lee Yun-seok is holding an independent candidacy press conference in the Citizens' Room of Mokpo City Council.
[Photo by Seo Young-seo]

He said, "For a fair primary, I demanded that the Democratic Party's Mokpo Regional Committee, which had many controversies, be designated as a special emergency committee, the resignation and withdrawal from candidacy of Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member who showed biased behavior as a sponsor chairman for a specific candidate, and the complete nullification of the Democratic Party's Mokpo regional primary held under unreasonable circumstances," criticizing the Democratic Party by saying, "The Democratic Party's nomination management committee ignored these demands and excluded me from participating in the primary, and the Supreme Council expelled me without any notification or procedure."

Yi continued, "The current Democratic Party is neither the Democratic Party of President Kim Dae-jung nor a party truly among the people. The party is full of arrogant and authoritarian figures. That is why, despite holding so many seats, they fail to work properly and only show off their power," and argued, "A genuine Democratic Party that thinks only of the country and the people should nominate people who know how to work and fight. At the very least, they should not block participation in the primary."

Yi Yun-seok expressed his platform, stating, "I will actively support and work together on the administrative direction and policy realization of Mokpo City, including the integration of Mokpo, Sinan, and Muan for the metropolitanization of the Mokpo area; the enactment of a special law for a renewable energy specialized complex in the integrated Mokpo City; expansion of SOC such as the Mokpo land, sea, and air circulation expressway; private-led development of marine and fisheries cities and tourism cities; legalization of the tourism pension system; support for local media and cultural and artistic sectors; establishment of a medical school Mokpo campus and medical school hospital; installation of a comprehensive welfare center for Mokpo citizens; and enactment of a law banning same-sex marriage."

Meanwhile, Yi Yun-seok is a two-term National Assembly member who served in the 18th and 19th National Assembly, a three-term Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member, former chairman of the provincial assembly, and university president. For this year's general election, he has declared his candidacy for the Mokpo City electoral district and is actively campaigning under the slogan "Mokpo Metropolitan Era through the Integration of Mokpo, Muan, and Sinan."