On July 7, Lee Junseok, a lawmaker from the Reform New Party, commented on People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheolsoo's resignation as chairman of the Innovation Committee and his declaration to run in the party convention, saying, "Perhaps this is the last chance for the People Power Party to break away from martial law and impeachment."
Reform New Party presidential candidate Junseok Lee is answering questions from reporters after finishing a campaign in Yeouido Park, Seoul, on May 28, one day before early voting. Photo by Yonhap News
On this day, Lee stated on his social networking service (SNS) Facebook account, "The fact that the People Power Party's Innovation Committee ran aground even before it started is an unexpected situation, but at the same time, it is also a chronic problem."
Lee reflected, "Personally, I have served as chairman of the Innovation Committee, and while I was party leader, I tried to launch an Innovation Committee. At that time, former President Yoon Sukyeol and the so-called 'Yoon loyalists' resisted and launched a full-scale attack, which led to my resignation as party leader."
He continued, "Ahn Cheolsoo probably accepted the role of Innovation Committee chairman out of a sense of responsibility, but he was likely told to innovate only within a small, limited area?like drawing a 30-pyeong field inside a large stadium and being told to innovate only there."
Lee added, "That is why Ahn Cheolsoo is now trying to take on a bigger challenge, having concluded that he could not make meaningful changes with only the authority of the Innovation Committee chairman. Since Ahn Cheolsoo has been the only figure to take a clear stance from the beginning of martial law, this may be the last chance for the People Power Party to break away from martial law and impeachment."
Earlier in the morning, Ahn Cheolsoo held a press conference and announced, "I ran into a huge wall before I could even open the door to innovation. I judged that we needed to take action to at least carry out a minimum personnel overhaul, and I discussed this with the emergency committee, but we could not reach an agreement." He declared his resignation as Innovation Committee chairman and his candidacy for the party convention.
Chun Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, also met with reporters that day and commented on Ahn Cheolsoo's resignation as Innovation Committee chairman, saying, "It is extremely absurd. The People Power Party is running politics in a chaotic and irresponsible manner, and maybe that's why the Lee Jaemyung administration is running even more out of control. They need to come to their senses."
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