Heo Eun Ah Also Declares Support for Lee Jae Myung: "A Candidate Who Practices Additive, Not Subtractive, Politics"

Heo: "People Power Party and Reform New Party Are Fake Conservatives"

Former Reform New Party leader Heo Eun Ah has declared her support for Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, describing him as "a candidate who practices additive politics rather than subtractive politics."

Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is posing hand in hand with former Reform New Party leader Heo Eun Ah during a campaign rally held on the 19th at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Heo took the stage during Lee's campaign rally near Times Square in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th, saying, "As someone concerned about the future of Korea, I am here to support candidate Lee Jae Myung."

Heo stated, "I am a politician who has reflected on conservatism longer than anyone else," adding, "I hoped for reformist conservatism within the People Power Party, and I even founded a third party with Lee Jun Seok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate." She continued, "I tried to pursue genuine new politics by removing my parliamentary badge, but as you all know, the end was deeply disappointing," criticizing, "Both the People Power Party and the Reform New Party ultimately turned out to be fake conservatism and fake reform."

Heo explained her reasons for supporting Lee by saying, "After observing candidate Lee, I saw that over the past year, he has consistently demonstrated the same attitude, consideration, and ability to execute," adding, "I believe this is true inclusive leadership." She also said, "Candidate Lee does not speak of division or hatred."

In response, Lee said, "I welcome former leader Heo as a new comrade who will join hands to help Korea overcome this crisis together," and added, "Let’s try a completely different kind of politics from what we have seen so far."

Meanwhile, for the first time, bulletproof glass was installed on the stage where Lee delivered his speech that day to guard against potential terrorist threats, drawing attention from the audience. The bulletproof shield is designed to be portable and will be installed at each campaign site.