Kwon Youngse: "Lee Jaemyung Has Lost Presidential Candidacy... Voluntary Withdrawal Is Common Sense"

"Today's Ruling, a Milestone for the Restoration of the Rule of Law"
"Insisting on the Presidential Candidate Is an Insult to the People"

On May 1, Kwon Youngse, the interim leader of the People Power Party, commented on the Supreme Court's decision to overturn and remand the conviction of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung in the Public Official Election Act case, stating, "It is common sense for the candidate to voluntarily step down," and emphasized, "Stop deceiving the people any further."

At a press conference held that afternoon at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Kwon said, "If the Democratic Party is a responsible party, it must promptly replace its (presidential) candidate," and added, "The People Power Party will treat today's ruling as a milestone for the restoration of the rule of law."

Yonhap News

Kwon explained, "In this ruling, 10 out of 12 Supreme Court justices found him guilty," and added, "The constitutional principle that no one is above the law has been reaffirmed."

He continued, "As the court clarified, Lee Jaemyung's remarks were not a simple slip of the tongue, but a serious matter that distorted the judgment of the people during the election process," and pointed out, "The very fact that such a clear-cut issue has been dragged out for more than three years was a clear mistake."

He went on to say, "Now the ball is in the court of the Democratic Party and candidate Lee," and added, "Elections must be built on trust. By this alone, the qualification to be a presidential candidate has already been lost." Kwon further stated, "If they insist on keeping him as their presidential candidate even after such a ruling, that itself is a grave insult to the people."

Regarding Lee Jaemyung's comment to reporters immediately after the Supreme Court ruling that "what matters is that the law is also a product of the people's consensus, and ultimately, the will of the people is most important," Kwon said, "I completely disagree."

He stated, "If you are a responsible politician, you must respect the Supreme Court's ruling on your own actions," and added, "That, too, is the will of the people."

When asked whether he thought the remand ruling on Lee should be finalized before the presidential election, Kwon replied, "Of course, that is how it should be," and added, "I believe the Supreme Court conducted the trial relatively quickly to ensure that the High Court's appellate ruling could be delivered before the June 3 presidential election."