Chun Haram: "There Was the Hong Joonpyo Prime Minister Option... Lee Administration's First Appointments Fall Short of Expectations"

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Chun Haram, Floor Leader of the Reform Party, commented on the first appointments made by the Lee Jae Myung administration, stating, "They fall short of expectations," and added, "It would have been better if the appointments had been oriented toward integration."

On June 5, during an appearance on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jongbae's Focus,' Chun said, "In Yeouido, there was talk of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo as a potential Prime Minister. There are also figures like Bank of Korea Governor Lee Changyong, who transcend partisanship." He continued, "However, the person announced as the Prime Minister nominee is Kim Minseok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea." Chun further stated, "Representative Kim has long served as the Democratic Party's frontline attacker. From the perspective of the opposition, can this truly be called an integrative appointment?" He added, "It seems the selection was made based on speed rather than integration, harmony, or inclusiveness."

The previous day, President Lee Jae Myung nominated Representative Kim as the new government's first Prime Minister. Kang Hoonshik, a member of the Democratic Party, was appointed as the first Chief Presidential Secretary, and Wi Sunglak, a member of the National Assembly, was chosen as Chief of National Security.

President Lee Jae Myung is clapping at the 21st Presidential Inauguration Commemorative Luncheon held on June 4th at Sarangjae, the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. 2025.6.4 Photo by Kim Hyun Min

Regarding the "Lee Junseok unification responsibility theory" raised both inside and outside the People Power Party, Chun said, "If you are not going to see the presidential race through to the end, why nominate a candidate at all?" He continued, "Presidential candidate Lee Junseok is a politician who kept his promise to the people and saw it through to the end." This was a rebuttal to the argument that if Lee had unified with People Power Party candidate Kim Moonsoo, the conservative bloc might have produced a president.

Chun stated, "On the contrary, it is a relief that unification did not happen," and added, "If there had been unification, it would have meant being one team with candidate Kim, former President Yoon Sukyeol, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyoan, and Pastor Jeon Kwanghoon of Sarangjeil Church. Just thinking about it gives me chills." He also said, "Even during the election, I said, 'We are people who have the courage to be disliked.' People say candidate Lee lacks manners, but when did anyone ever treat us with affection?"

Regarding the 8.34% (2,917,423 votes) of the vote that candidate Lee received in this presidential election, Chun said, "It is very disappointing," but added, "Because we narrowly missed double digits, it made us reflect on and consider the task of expanding our reach." Chun emphasized, "At the beginning of this year, the situation for the Reform Party was not easy, but we managed to grow meaningfully and carry out the presidential election." He added, "During the presidential race, we nearly tripled the number of votes received in the last general election, and our party membership more than doubled," highlighting the significance of these achievements.