Lee Jae Myung Says He Is Grateful for Kim Sangwook's Support... Hopes He Will Join the Party

Lee Jae Myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the declaration of support from independent lawmaker Sangwook Kim, who left the People Power Party, on the 15th, saying, "I am grateful, and I hope he will join our party and work with us."

Independent lawmaker Sangwook Kim, who left the People Power Party, is entering the National Assembly Communication Office on the 15th to declare his support for Lee Jae Myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Lee made this statement while speaking to reporters ahead of his campaign event in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, saying, "I hope that reasonable conservatives will join us."

He added, "Although he formally left the party, I feel as though he was pushed out. It seems he made heartbreaking efforts to voice reasonable opinions."

Regarding Kim’s departure from the party, Lee said, "Could anyone endure in that group (the People Power Party), which defends insurrection and supports the destruction of constitutional order? For reasonable conservatives, it seems to have become an unbearably humiliating situation."

He continued, "There may be a way for the group to transform into a truly reasonable conservative party, but if that is impossible, reasonable conservatives will inevitably have to take different action. While it may appear to be a competition between conservatives and progressives, it is actually a contest between the unreasonable and the reasonable. The unreasonable has been packaged as conservatism and the reasonable as progressivism, but now the unreasonable will step aside, and true conservatism and true reform will be established, allowing a proper political order to take root."

He also stated, "Korean politics will have to be restructured at some point. The People Power Party has been regarded as conservative and the Democratic Party as progressive, but in reality, the Democratic Party is truly a progressive party, while the People Power Party has only claimed to be a conservative party. The world will inevitably be reorganized into political groups with conservative and progressive identities, and we must prepare for that."

Lee also responded to former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo's comment on his social media, saying, "If I had joined the Little Democratic Party 30 years ago at the suggestion of former President Roh Moo Hyun, I would not have suffered so much," by saying, "I fully understand."

Lee further remarked, "It seems that former Mayor Hong is experiencing a great sense of self-reproach. I believe he made such comments because the People Power Party is moving away from being a conservative party in the traditional sense." He added, "Politics is like a bird flying with both wings, but it is a sad situation when the right wing denies itself and even declares it is not a conservative party."

Regarding People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo's apology at an emergency press conference that day for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law, Lee criticized, "It raises concerns about sincerity, as it reminds me of those during the Japanese occupation who would say 'here or there' about their Korean nationality."