Lee Junseok: "It Will Be a Decisive Showdown Between the Reformist Party and the Democratic Party"

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reformist Party, officially launched his campaign for the 21st presidential election on May 12, declaring, "This presidential election will be a decisive showdown between the Reformist Party and the Democratic Party of Korea, and it will be a one-on-one contest between Lee Junseok and Lee Jaemyung."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Lee stated, "This will be a battle between the future and the past, the new and the old, integrity and corruption, and competence and incompetence."

He emphasized that the People Power Party is responsible for this early presidential election, saying, "The first step is to hold accountable those who insist on 'enlightenment orders' instead of martial law." He continued, "The only party capable of breaking the massive and corrupt two-party system that has persisted for 80 years and enabling a new start for Korean politics is the Reformist Party."

Presidential Candidate Lee Junseok Holds Meeting at KAIST

(Daejeon=Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Suhwan = On the afternoon of May 7, reformist party presidential candidate Lee Junseok is holding a "2030 Field Listening" meeting with students at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Yuseong District, Daejeon. 2025.5.7

Photo by Kang Suhwan

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Turning to the Democratic Party, he criticized, "The public is raising its voice, saying that those who have abused impeachment and immunity from arrest dozens of times and even intimidated the judiciary just to protect their party leader must also be held appropriately accountable."

Lee stressed, "This presidential election is not simply about changing the administration, but about fundamentally reshaping Korean politics," adding, "The spirit of the times demands not a mere exchange of power between the two major parties, but a true change of government."

After the press conference, Lee told reporters regarding the possibility of unifying candidacies with People Power Party candidate Kim Moonsoo, "Any moves toward such unification would cause great concern among voters," and dismissed the idea, saying, "The moment we join hands with the People Power Party, which represents the anti-impeachment faction, there is no way to secure a majority, so in any form, unification with candidate Kim is impossible."

Regarding candidate Kim, Lee said, "He remains entrenched in a hardline conservative stance that has damaged the conservative camp thus far, as well as in the ideological orientation and behavioral patterns of parties like the Liberal Unification Party," adding, "He lacks the ability to present a renewed conservative bloc to the public, one that is not tainted by impeachment."