Lee Jun-seok Betting on the 'Youth' of Dongtan... Lee Nak-yeon Appealing to the 'Sentiment' of Honam

Lee Jun-seok "I will be the speaker of Dongtan"
Lee Nak-yeon "I will dedicate everything for Gwangju and Jeonnam"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, and Lee Nak-yeon, co-leader of the New Future, who once shared the same cause but parted ways after 10 days, both declared their candidacies for the general election constituencies on the 4th. Lee Jun-seok, in his 40s, appealed to the belief in the youth of Dongtan, while Lee Nak-yeon expressed a longing for a great politician from Honam, urging for an opportunity. In a situation where the third zone is divided, the party leaders showed their determination to open a new path by directly running in their constituencies.

On the 4th at 2 p.m., Lee Jun-seok declared at Dongtan Lake Park that he would run in the constituency of Hwaseong-si Eul, Gyeonggi Province, where Dongtan 2 New Town is located. He stated, "First, I will be the speaker for Dongtan," and added, "With the passion that once shouted for a complex shopping mall in Gwangju at the forefront of central politics and the courage to speak up even if criticized, such as abolishing free subway rides and introducing a voucher system, I now want to use all of that for the development of Dongtan."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The reason Lee Jun-seok chose Hwaseong-si Eul is because of 'youth.' He said, "The average age of the Hwaseong-si Eul electoral district being 34.5 years is both a positive and a frightening indicator," and added, "My expectation comes from the belief and confidence in the young generation of Dongtan." He further explained, "Rather than joining the meaningless competition where the opposition leader and the president demonize each other and try to imprison one another, I am confident that the concerns of our generation, who have to live 30 years from now, will be placed at the center of the election." He appealed to the young generation of Dongtan to support him.

Confident in being a regionally tailored politician, Lee proposed solutions to educational issues. He said, "The persistent complaints about the difficulties caused by Hwaseong being a non-standardized high school area are an old story," and added, "Now, Lee Jun-seok will roll up his sleeves and help." Lee emphasized, "I will designate Dongtan as an education-specialized district through special legislation in the National Assembly and make it the top-level education city in South Korea." He also mentioned establishing a science high school in the southern region and building a transportation network in southern Gyeonggi.

After the press conference, during a Q&A session with reporters, Lee Jun-seok suggested to Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, that he run in the Hwaseong-si Eul constituency. He said, "It seems cowardly to try to run elections by recruiting political newcomers especially in difficult districts," and added, "If Chairman Han seriously intends to run an election in southern Gyeonggi, he should come out."

Lee Nak-yeon, another pillar of the third zone, held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council at 3 p.m. on the same day and declared his candidacy in the Gwangju area.

Having previously announced several times that he would not run in the general election, Lee Nak-yeon appealed, "I, who am lacking, have returned to Gwangju," and said, "Please accept me with the heart of a mother-like hometown." He expressed his determination by saying, "I have decided to run in the National Assembly election on April 10 in Gwangju," and added, "I want to dedicate everything I have for the new future of Gwangju, Jeonnam, and South Korea." The reason for reversing his decision not to run was his own belief in the necessity to run in Honam and create a fresh breeze to open a new path.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After apologizing for previously mentioning pardons for former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, Lee criticized the Yoon Seok-youl administration and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party. Regarding Lee Jae-myung, he said, "To check and judge an incompetent and lax regime, the opposition party must do well," but added, "The Democratic Party has failed to properly check or judge the regime due to moral and legal issues. Just as a person who has committed a crime cannot stand confidently before a prosecutor, it is difficult for the Democratic Party to check and judge the prosecution regime." He then referred to the recent nomination turmoil within the Democratic Party, stating, "I will revive the true spirit and culture of the Democratic Party," and said, "Let's create a great politician for the future of Gwangju and Honam." He expressed his determination to revive the Democratic Party from outside and continue the lineage of great politicians from Honam.

Regarding the specific constituency, Lee said, "I will announce it soon after further consultation."