Lee Cheol-gyu "Decision Not to Run for Won District After Election... Party Responsible for Defeat"

"Handonghun Jeondae? ... I Feel Responsible, So I Will Not Run"

Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu, who did not run in the People Power Party floor leader election, stated, "Knowing when to move forward and when to take a short break is a virtue of a politician," and added, "After this election, I have decided that it is appropriate to pause for a while to help someone and play a role in the party's harmony and unity."

Lee Cheol-gyu, a member of the People Power Party, and Im I-ja are talking at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 8th, Rep. Lee appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said that although some elected members encouraged him to run for the floor leader election after the election, he did not consider it, stating, "I conveyed my intention to faithfully play a supporting role behind the scenes."

Regarding the so-called 'Lee Cheol-gyu consensus nomination theory' raised by some, he emphasized, "I thought it was presumptuous to respond to such neologisms or public opinion one by one. I clearly conveyed my intention to those who individually suggested such opinions," and added, "I also indirectly expressed my lack of intention through media interviews."

He pointed out that the party bears significant responsibility for the general election defeat. He said, "Elections are conducted by the party," and added, "Of course, the president and the party, the ruling party and the government share a communal fate, but the party clearly led the election campaign starting from candidate nominations." He continued, "It is extremely dangerous to frame it as 'the president was wrong' or 'Yongsan was wrong' when we are not at fault," and criticized, "It only denies the party's own value as a political entity."

In response to the host's question, "Are you saying that former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon bears significant responsibility?" he replied, "I did not claim that it was Han Dong-hoon’s sole responsibility," but added, "Our candidate nominations should have been more sympathetic to the public and carried some message, but that was lacking."

Rep. Lee said, "Also, regarding the appointment of Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia at that time and the issues until his return, it is true that the public found some parts hard to understand and somewhat unsatisfactory," and added, "This should have been resolved through smooth communication between the party and the government."