Lee Nak-yeon "I Will Build a True Democratic Party"
Lee Jun-seok "Devastated We Can't Work Together, Apologizes"
The integrated Reform New Party led by co-chairs Lee Nak-yeon and Lee Jun-seok split just 11 days after their merger. The conflict between the two sides over election campaigns and policy decision-making authority could not be resolved, ultimately leading to the withdrawal of the integration.
On the morning of the 20th, Lee Nak-yeon held a press conference at the central party meeting room of Saeroun Mirae in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "We have no choice but to return to the pre-integration state," and added, "We will return to Saeroun Mirae." Lee emphasized, "The agreement made on February 9 was broken, and the agenda to grant full authority over the election to one co-chair was forcibly passed by a vote of the Supreme Council," adding, "This agenda should not have been subject to a Supreme Council vote, and the spirit of democracy has been damaged."
Lee Nak-yeon pointed to Lee Jun-seok's 'partisan factionalism' as the cause of the withdrawal. The Reform New Party held a Supreme Council meeting the day before and passed by majority vote an agenda to delegate election campaign and policy decision-making authority to Lee Jun-seok. Saeroun Mirae claims this broke the agreement to grant Lee Nak-yeon the position of overall election committee chairman at the time of integration.
Right after the press conference, Lee Nak-yeon told reporters, "The agenda regarding full delegation of authority is not subject to a Supreme Council vote," and said, "I proposed political coordination, saying that changing the agreement of the integration parties into a Supreme Council resolution would set a serious bad precedent." He added, "They tried to stigmatize and exclude a specific person from the start."
Withdrawal of Reform New Party Merger (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporters Han Sang-gyun and Shin Jun-hee = Lee Nak-yeon, co-representative of the Reform New Party, declared the withdrawal of the merger on the 20th.
On the left is co-representative Lee Nak-yeon holding a press conference to withdraw the merger at the New Future Party headquarters in Yeouido on the same day, and on the right is co-representative Lee Jun-seok holding a press conference at the National Assembly one hour later. 2024.2.20
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Lee Nak-yeon: "I will build the real Democratic Party"
Lee Nak-yeon emphasized that he would return to Saeroun Mirae to reorganize the party and shift to an election system. He said, "We will break the monopolistic political structure of the incompetent and corrupt two major parties and create a genuine alternative party that prioritizes the nation over factions and the people over politicians," adding, "We will prepare a new future for the Republic of Korea without imitating the combative politics of vested interest parties."
He also pledged, "We will establish the 'real Democratic Party' to replace the Democratic Party, which has been crushed by moral and legal issues and fallen to a one-person party, making regime checks and regime change difficult," and "We will transform the political arena, rife with lies and collusion, into a place where honesty and common sense prevail."
Kim Jong-min, a member of Saeroun Mirae, explained in response to a question about whether they would proceed with the general election without further integration talks, "I believe that the partisan factionalism of any individual is not the third zone," and "The third zone is about breaking away from vested interest politics, hegemonic politics, and partisan factionalism to take a new path. We have no change in our intention to pursue the third zone of democratic politics regardless of the form."
Kim Jong-min, Supreme Council Member, Speaking(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Jun-hee = On the 20th, Lee Nak-yeon, Co-Leader of the Reform New Party, and Kim Jong-min, Supreme Council Member, held a press conference at the Reform New Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, announcing their split from the Reform New Party. 2024.2.20 [Joint Coverage]
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Lee Jun-seok: "Devastated we cannot continue with Saeroun Mirae... Apologize to the people"
Following Lee Nak-yeon's press conference, Lee Jun-seok spoke at the Communication Center, saying, "I deeply apologize to the people for the fact that Saeroun Mirae, led by Lee Nak-yeon, can no longer continue together just 10 days after declaring party integration."
He said, "There are many things I need to reflect on. I wonder if I was overconfident in managing things beyond my capacity, if I was arrogant due to excessive self-assurance, or if I recklessly judged the hearts of the most precious people. Today, more than making grand promises about the future, I humbly offer my reflections to the people." He added, "To provide better and new options to voters disappointed with the hostile symbiotic relationship of the two major parties, the Reform New Party will continue to make sincere efforts with a humble attitude."
However, he refuted Saeroun Mirae's claim that the integration was broken to hand over nomination rights to former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in, calling it a 'self-contradiction.' Lee Jun-seok said, "The claim that the integration was broken is contradictory," and "The recommendation of former Chairman Kim was actually brought to me the day after the merger declaration by a former lawmaker close to Lee Nak-yeon, not by me."
He further explained, "During the meeting, when Kim Jong-in was mentioned, Lee Nak-yeon agreed it was a good idea and asked if I could contact him, so recently I tried to reach out to Kim's side to gauge their willingness."
Press conference by Representative Lee Jun-seok(Seoul=Yonhap News) Photo by Han Sang-gyun = Lee Jun-seok, co-representative of the Reform New Party, is holding a press conference at the National Assembly on the 20th regarding the announcement of the withdrawal of the merger with co-representative Lee Nak-yeon. 2024.2.20
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Reform New Party emphasizes returning 600 million won subsidy... no legal effect
On the same day, with Kim Jong-min, a Supreme Council member of Saeroun Mirae, leaving the party, the Reform New Party's number of incumbent National Assembly members will decrease to four. However, even if Kim Jong-min leaves the Reform New Party, the previously received subsidy of about 600 million won will not be reclaimed. Lee Jun-seok emphasized political purity by stating, "If a member leaves and the number of seats falls below five, the Reform New Party will return the entire government subsidy already paid," but there is no legal effect to reclaim it.
After the press conference, Lee Jun-seok explained the intention behind returning the subsidy: "Some people doubt the sincerity of the integration, thinking it was for election funds, but that is not true at all," adding, "It is even more embarrassing that Saeroun Mirae is making such claims. Since there is no precedent for this, if the legal return process is minimal, we will use it for public organizations or good causes." He continued, "We reached a unanimous agreement among party officials to show our sincerity to the people by returning the subsidy."
Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the Reform New Party's Policy Committee, also said on the radio that morning, responding to the point that there is no way to return the subsidy to the National Election Commission, "I don't know why it would be impossible, but if the NEC says so, we could consider donating the government subsidy to trustworthy organizations that will use it well," and emphasized, "If possible, we will try to return the entire amount to the government."
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