Lee Jun-seok, "(The conversation about nominations with First Lady Kim Keon-hee) seems off, so I checked it"

Suspicions Over Pohang Mayor Nomination Discussion "Corrected"
Regarding the "Timing of Explanation," "I Am a Virtuous Person"

Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, explained the suspicion that he discussed the local election nominations with First Lady Kim Keon-hee by saying, "It was so absurd that I went to correct it immediately." Lee was serving as the leader of the People Power Party at the time of the 2022 local elections.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the 15th, Lee said regarding the 2022 Pohang mayoral election, "There were so many talks about the nominations that I suggested meeting with Mrs. Kim," adding, "During the Pohang mayoral nomination, we conducted a competitiveness survey targeting local heads, the only one nationwide." He continued, "Since a relatively young generation lives there, the party's approval rating was low, and it was just a matter of cutting the then mayor of Pohang," calling it "an unusual case."

Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on March 6. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Lee said, "I ordered a situation assessment at that time," and added, "But I heard information that a certain person, because of being close to Mrs. Kim, was saying around Pohang that he would receive the nomination." He then said, "Whether true or not, I thought I should speak directly with the person involved, so I met Mrs. Kim to confirm." The person known to be close to Mrs. Kim was not nominated as the Pohang mayoral candidate at that time.

When asked about the content of the conversation with Mrs. Kim, he said, "You can infer the reaction by looking at the results," and added, "It is not appropriate to disclose casual conversations with the President or the First Lady." He also said, "I think there is no reason to cause concern to the current Pohang Mayor Lee Kang-deok or the citizens of Pohang."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok and former floor leader Kwon Seong-dong, along with other lawmakers, are cheering as they watch the exit poll results announced in the vote counting situation room set up in the National Assembly Library auditorium on June 1, 2022. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo

Regarding why he revealed the related facts late despite knowing the situation as the leader of the People Power Party at the time, Lee explained, "It's because I am a mature adult," adding, "I could have informed the party’s Ethics Committee when I was referred there, but there were corrections made, and the elected officials are doing well in administration, so I thought it would cause harm." He also cited that the election campaign was ongoing at the time. After the local elections, Lee was disciplined by the People Power Party Central Ethics Committee in July of that year, including suspension of party membership.

When asked whether the President and First Lady could be seen as having 'intervened' in the nominations, he did not give a definitive answer. He said, "The difference lies in where the threshold between opinion and intervention is," and added, "The Pohang case was an unusual situation, but if they thought similarly to me, I think it could be possible, so there is no need to make a definitive judgment."