"Reform New Party is a Branch of the People Power Party"
Shin Ji-ho, former Vice Chairman of Strategic Planning of the People Power Party and considered a close associate of Han Dong-hoon, mentioned the possibility of Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party who has effectively declared his presidential candidacy, rejoining the People Power Party.
On the 3rd, Shin, on Channel A's 'Political Signal,' said, "First of all, the result of the impeachment trial is the most important," but also added, "The time for Lee Jun-seok to return to his original party is approaching."
Ahn Joon-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, is holding a press conference on political issues on the Red Road Busking Street in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News.
He stated, "Lee Jun-seok left after being with our party, so the Reform New Party can be seen as a branch of our party in a way," and "If an early presidential election takes place and the generational change movement that Lee Jun-seok envisions also appears within the People Power Party, there is no reason we cannot unite. Also, the Reform New Party is currently noisy due to internal power struggles."
Lee held a press conference the previous day at the Hongdae busking street in Mapo-gu, Seoul, effectively declaring his presidential candidacy. He said, "South Korea must boldly pursue generational and structural change," and "I will overhaul the political landscape." However, regarding the possibility of unifying candidates with other parties, he drew a line by saying, "If I go, I will go to the end."
Regarding this, Shin said, "The reason Lee left the People Power Party was due to a conflict with President Yoon," and "Although Lee Jun-seok has effectively declared his candidacy and says 'there will never be unification,' that actually sounds the opposite to me."
He added, "I don't know the specific form (such as alliance or merger), but Lee Jun-seok has learned politics here and gained a lot of experience in this party since his late twenties."
Regarding the speculation that Han Dong-hoon's return is imminent as people close to former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon have launched and started activities on the YouTube channel UNDER 73 (meaning those born after 1973) Studio, Shin said, "This is not something that came out as part of Han Dong-hoon's resumption of activities."
Shin explained, "Lawyer Park Sang-soo and others are at the center, creating a space where they can make autonomous decisions and move independently within that," and "It seems they informed former leader Han of their decision. This is not something Han Dong-hoon is doing as part of his program to resume activities," dismissing the speculation.
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