Lee Junseok Predicts Unification Will End in Disaster... Blames 'Yoon Core Officials' for Forcing the Issue

"People Power Party Relies Only on Political Engineering...
Unable to Escape Delusions"

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reformist Party, predicted on May 7 that the unification efforts between Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and independent pre-candidate Han Ducksoo would inevitably lead to a disastrous outcome.

During an appearance on KBS Radio that day, Lee stated, "There is simply not enough time for the People Power Party to produce any meaningful result." He diagnosed the conflict over the unification of candidates within the People Power Party as follows: "This situation arose because the so-called 'Yoon core officials' (key associates of former President Yoon Sukyeol) and their faction tried to force their way through."

Lee further commented, "I believe they are still trapped in the illusion of 2020, when under then-leader Hwang Kyoan, the conservative bloc held an overwhelming demographic advantage." He pointed out, "Because they have failed to adapt to changes, they end up relying solely on methods that appear to the public as mere political engineering."

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo (right), who declared his presidential candidacy, and Lee Junseok, the reformist party's presidential pre-candidate, are moving after attending the funeral mass of Bishop Leonardo Dubong (French name Rene Dupont) held on the 14th at Moksungdong Cathedral in Andong, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding Kim Moonsoo, Lee remarked, "Ultimately, it is the person holding the party leader's seal who stamps the nomination certificate for the presidential candidate." He added, "If a so-called 'seal run' (running away with the seal) occurs, the process cannot proceed."

Lee avoided giving a definitive answer about the possibility of meeting with either candidate. He explained, "Given the recent conflict between Kim Moonsoo and Han Ducksoo, I am concerned that meeting with either side might be interpreted as a political signal. Therefore, until this issue is resolved, it is difficult to meet with anyone."

Lee also dismissed the Democratic Party's announcement of plans to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae and others as "an undesirable form of personal retaliation."