Strong Criticism of People Power Party's Presidential Candidate Replacement
"Head-to-Head with Lee Jaemyung"
Solidifying Position Within the Conservative Bloc
Lee Junseok, the Reform New Party's presidential candidate, strongly criticized the People Power Party for stripping candidate Kim Moonsoo of his qualifications and recruiting Han Ducksoo as a preliminary candidate to register him as their presidential nominee. He stated, "At this point, I suspect the People Power Party may have made a secret agreement to support candidate Lee Jaemyung."
On the morning of May 10, Lee referred to his own ousting as party leader by the People Power Party in a post on social media, describing the recent replacement of the presidential candidate as "a repetition of the same offense." He further sharpened his criticism by saying that the People Power Party is now a "four-time repeat offender" when it comes to driving out its own members.
Lee Junseok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate, expressed anger over the replacement of the People Power Party's presidential candidate.
Lee recalled his past expulsion from the party, saying, "I never expected them to reflect on the fact that they insulted and kicked out a party leader who had led them to consecutive election victories, but when I heard they were considering apologizing, I thought at least they felt some shame." He continued, "But I never imagined they would repeat the same act with the presidential candidate," expressing his anger over the overnight controversy within the People Power Party regarding the candidate replacement.
In the early hours of the day, the People Power Party convened both its emergency response committee and election management committee, initiating decision-making procedures on several agenda items: a request to review the presidential selection process, the cancellation of Kim Moonsoo's nomination, the admission of Han Ducksoo into the party, and his registration as a candidate. Afterwards, the party officially announced the cancellation of Kim's nomination and declared that, as a result, Han, who had been an independent, was registered as the sole presidential candidate. Previously, the party leadership and Kim had clashed multiple times over the timing of unifying with Han.
Regarding this, Lee commented, "The People Power Party is now a four-time repeat offender when it comes to expelling its leaders or candidates," and offered his "deepest sympathies to candidate Kim Moonsoo."
Lee also raised suspicions that the People Power Party may have made a "secret agreement" with Lee Jaemyung of the Democratic Party. He remarked, "At this point, I wonder if the People Power Party has even made a secret pact to support candidate Lee Jaemyung," pointing out that the division and internal strife within the conservative bloc are ultimately benefitting Lee Jaemyung, their biggest rival in the opposition.
In conclusion, Lee declared, "Now, let's face Lee Jaemyung head-on with the Reform New Party," firmly establishing his party's position as an alternative force within the conservative bloc. He made it clear that he no longer considers the People Power Party capable of fulfilling its role as a conservative party and expressed a strong determination to establish a one-on-one contest with Lee Jaemyung.
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