Saemirae Democratic Party Leader Jeon Byeongheon Holds Presidential Election Press Conference
Criticizes Lee Jaemyung's Passive Stance on Constitutional Amendment as "Hotteok Politics"
Reveals Plan to Seek "White Knights in the Shadows" Against Lee Jaemyung
The Saemirae Democratic Party, to which former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon belongs as a standing advisor, emphasized the need for a coalition of political forces opposing former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.
At a press conference related to the presidential election held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Saemirae Democratic Party central headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Jeon Byeong-heon, the party leader, stated, "There is an urgent need for active response and efforts to counter the public's unfavorable sentiment and concerns toward former leader Lee, known as 'Lee Jae-myung phobia,'" and added, "We propose the formation of a constitutional amendment coalition and alliance uniting political forces that agree on opposing Lee Jae-myung."
Leader Jeon raised his voice in criticism of Lee. He said, "In the presidential election where the lesser evil was chosen, former leader Lee was evaluated as the worst compared to the lesser evil, Yoon Seok-youl, and was the greatest contributor to the emergence of former President Yoon," adding, "From the perspective of the 2022 presidential election, the lesser evil was eliminated, resulting in the appearance of the worst."
He continued, "The Saemirae Democratic Party has consistently argued that the simultaneous elimination of Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung is the spirit of the times," and said, "In this presidential election, we will make every effort to prevent the birth of the Lee Jae-myung regime and complete the task of simultaneous elimination."
He criticized former leader Lee for not actively engaging in constitutional amendment discussions, calling it 'hotteok politics.' Leader Jeon pointed out, "I have repeatedly advocated for constitutional amendments before the presidential election, but former leader Lee even ignored the proposal by Speaker Woo Won-shik to hold the presidential election and constitutional referendum simultaneously," and added, "He flipped the promise made to the Constitutional Association and its chairman Jeong Dae-cheol like a hotteok."
Leader Jeon added, "If the constitutional amendment coalition comes to power, I believe the only practical and realistic way to unify the people and resolve political issues is to immediately establish and jointly operate a Constitutional Amendment Promotion Public Deliberation Committee with the National Assembly to produce results before the 2028 general election."
He also emphasized that former Prime Minister Lee, a member of the party, is the right person to lead this effort. Leader Jeon stated, "The party has a competent and moral candidate who can heal conflicts, unify the people, and restore South Korea to a normal state through constitutional amendment," and added, "In fact, former Prime Minister Lee is the only candidate in the broad opposition camp, after former leader Lee, who has double-digit support ratings, making him the undisputed second-place candidate."
The Saemirae Democratic Party hinted at the possibility of forming alliances with other parties to create an anti-Lee Jae-myung coalition. Leader Jeon said, "As party leader, I will not be fixated on former Prime Minister Lee alone," and added, "We will continuously seek alliances, coalitions, and shadow backers."
Meanwhile, the Saemirae Democratic Party plans to hold a national rally calling for constitutional amendment coalition and national unity at 5 p.m. on the 17th in front of Donghwa Duty-Free Shop in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
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