Supporters of Yoon preparing rice cake soup and bowing in detention center... Lee Jun-seok says "Is this a memorial table?"

"Yoon's Supporters Are Not as Hardline as Park Geun-hye's Fandom"
Criticism of the Ruling Party for Not Preparing for the Presidential Election Due to Reliance on Supporters
Mentions Plans to Run in the Next Presidential Election

Lee Jun-seok, a lawmaker from the Reform New Party, criticized the ruling party for not preparing their next moves due to being conscious of the supporters demanding the release of President Yoon Seok-yeol, despite these supporters not being as hardline as the fandom of former President Park Geun-hye. On the 31st, Lee appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and spoke about the conservative supporters' demand for 'President Yoon's release' on the 29th.

Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party criticized the ruling party for not preparing their next steps, saying that although the supporters demanding the release of President Yoon Seok-yeol are not as hardline as the fandom of former President Park Geun-hye, the ruling party is still conscious of them. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

In particular, Lee criticized the scene where supporters gathered at Seoul Detention Center, set up 'tteokguk' (rice cake soup), and bowed toward the place where the president was detained, saying, "I don't understand why they set up a ritual table and performed the ceremony facing President Yoon Seok-yeol." According to Lee's logic, New Year's bows (sebae) are performed in front of a person, while setting up a table and performing a ritual (charye) is for the deceased, so bowing without President Yoon present treats him as if he were dead.

He further analyzed, "Looking at the polls, the trends in support rates for the Democratic Party and the People Power Party and the trends in approval and disapproval of impeachment are moving differently," and said, "President Yoon seems to mistakenly believe that this means his support base is consolidating." Specifically, he emphasized, "President Yoon's fandom falls far short of the strong fandom that former President Park Geun-hye had when she was impeached," and "Currently, it is hardline conservative YouTubers who are leading the charge, and President Yoon's messages do not have much influence." He also recalled the time when former President Park Geun-hye was detained, explaining that the Taegeukgi Brigade used to call Seoul Detention Center 'Seocheongdae.'

On the morning of the 31st, supporters of President Yoon Seok-yeol are holding placards in front of the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News

He also pointed out that the conservatives are inadequately prepared for the next presidential election. Regarding the current political situation, he said, "If these kinds of messages (defending President Yoon, opposing impeachment) dominate and the impeachment ruling is made, they will enter an early presidential election without any preparation," and warned, "During Park Geun-hye's impeachment, there were efforts in the conservative camp to promote new candidates, such as Ban Ki-moon entering the race, but now the only candidate promoted is Minister Kim Moon-soo. Therefore, the conservative camp is facing a very dangerous situation."

Meanwhile, Lee stated regarding the next presidential election, "As of yesterday (the 30th), I have entered the eligible age range," announcing that he has qualified to run for president. To run for president, one must have the right to be elected as a member of the National Assembly and be at least 40 years old on the election day. This means a South Korean national aged 40 or older without disqualifications (such as loss of eligibility) can run for public office. If the Constitutional Court rules to impeach President Yoon, a presidential election must be held within 60 days. Born on March 31, 1985, Lee can run in the presidential election held 60 days after the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling against President Yoon, even if it happens immediately.