MBC Radio Appearance by Lee Jun-seok, Reform New Party Leader
"Former President Roh Moo-hyun Also Lost Four Elections... Gained Courage"
Continues Criticism of Democratic Party Candidate Gong Young-woon
"Reform New Party Is the Opposition... Yoon Will Suffer Psychological Pain"
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, has announced his candidacy for Hwaseong-si Eul in Gyeonggi Province in the 22nd general election, predicting that if he wins, President Yoon Seok-yeol will suffer psychological distress.
On the 2nd, during a phone interview with MBC Radio's 'Kwon Soon-pyo's News High Kick,' Lee was asked whether his political journey would remain unchanged even if he did not win. He replied, "I dare not compare, but former President Roh Moo-hyun also experienced four election defeats and never gave up challenging difficult constituencies. I draw a lot of courage from that."
Lee said, "Many thought that the 'Park Geun-hye kids' were finished when Park Geun-hye was impeached. However, I have always voiced reasonable opinions and fulfilled my role, so the people gave me another chance. If I were too afraid that my political career would end, I would have declared my candidacy for proportional representation by any means necessary." He added, "Since I am running in Dongtan, I have a strong desire to be sincere and achieve results in this candidacy."
He also spoke about Democratic Party candidate Gong Young-woon. He stated, "It seems he refuses to answer reasonable doubts. Also, he does not attend debates in person but participates by phone, making it difficult to verify facts. So far, Dongtan has mostly seen elections without competition, with governors, mayors, and members of the National Assembly mostly from the Democratic Party. I believe many voters have the perception that 'this time, let's create a competitive system.'"
Regarding the identity of the Reform New Party, he answered, "We have consistently criticized President Yoon for his mistakes. We are the opposition." He further predicted, "If I am elected as a member of the National Assembly, President Yoon will be psychologically distressed to the point that he will find it hard to even enjoy a drink in the evening as he usually does." On the party's low approval ratings, he said, "Since I am focusing on the local area, my activity level might be lower than usual. However, if I win in this district and members of the Reform New Party are elected, we will increase our presence through active activities."
(From left) Candidate Gong Yeong-un of the Democratic Party of Korea for Hwaseong in the 22nd general election, Candidate Han Jeong-min of the People Power Party, Candidate Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party
Meanwhile, Lee began his political career after being selected by former President Park Geun-hye on December 27, 2011, having previously worked as a representative teacher sharing knowledge. He ran in the 20th general election in 2016, the 2018 by-elections, and the 21st general election in 2020, all in Nowon-gu Byeong, representing Saenuri Party, Bareunmirae Party, and United Future Party respectively, but lost all three times.
In 2021, he ran as a candidate for party leader in the People Power Party's first national convention and became the youngest leader of the main opposition party at age 36. However, on July 8, 2022, the People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee suspended his party membership for six months for violating the duty to maintain dignity related to allegations of evidence destruction in a sexual bribery scandal, suspending his duties as party leader. Subsequently, on December 27, 2023, he held a press conference to announce his departure from the party and the founding of a new party (Reform New Party). Currently, he is running as a candidate for the National Assembly in Hwaseong-si Eul, competing against Democratic Party candidate Gong Young-woon and People Power Party candidate Han Jeong-min.
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