Yoo Seung-min Withdraws from People Power Party Primary... "Refusal of Party's Reflection and Path to Change"

Yoo Expresses Anger at Obsession with Vested Interests

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min announced on the 13th that he will not participate in the People Power Party presidential primary.

On the same day, Yoo posted on his Facebook, "Despite conservative presidents being consecutively impeached, the party refuses to take a proper path of reflection and change. There is no sense of urgency at all," expressing his stance.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min is being interviewed at the Asia Economy headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

He fiercely criticized the People Power Party, asking, "I want to know if there is even the slightest thought of winning against Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea," and added, "I am angry at the party's acceptance of defeat in the presidential election as a foregone conclusion and its obsession with vested interests after the loss. The behavior of shrinking rather than expanding conservative territory into the central region leaves me speechless."

Yoo also emphasized, "Wherever I am, I, Yoo Seung-min, will continue on the path of true conservatism that I dream of," and stated, "I will not set foot on a path that is not right."

Furthermore, he promised, "I will continue to listen to the voices of the Jungsoocheong (moderates, metropolitan area, youth) who desire hopeful politics for future generations and reform conservatism, and will think only of the future of the Republic of Korea. Together with rational and sensible citizens, I will strive to rebuild a conservative party that we can be proud of and continue to advance political reform in our country."

Earlier, on the 11th, Yoo criticized the People Power Party’s decision to conduct the first primary entirely through public opinion polls while including a clause to prevent reverse voting, calling it a "national deception" at a press conference held at the People Power Party Daegu City Branch. The introduction of the reverse voting prevention clause means that the polls are conducted only among People Power Party supporters and the politically unaffiliated, not the entire population.

At that time, he said, "With these primary rules, we cannot win the presidential election. However, seeing that the party’s election commission does not deviate at all from this mistaken thinking that invites defeat made me very angry," and criticized, "I even think that the party leadership’s decision on the primary rules is tantamount to handing over power to Lee Jae-myung and that the party leadership has given up on the presidential election."