Aimed at People Power Party: "No Change in Attitude"
"Democrats Will Struggle Due to Real Estate Policies"
Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, has once again drawn a clear line, stating that his party will not form an alliance with the People Power Party in the 9th nationwide local elections scheduled for June 3 next year. He also declared that the Reform New Party will field its own candidate for the Seoul mayoral race.
On November 7, during an appearance on YTN Radio's "Kim Youngsoo's The Interview," Lee dismissed ongoing speculation in political circles that his party might cooperate with the People Power Party in next year's local elections. Addressing the People Power Party, the subject of these alliance rumors, he said, "There has been no change in their attitude, and even if there were, how could that make them a viable partner for us?" He added, "We will see the race through to the end and conduct our campaign in our own way."
Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News
Regarding the possibility of an alliance with Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon, Lee commented, "I often communicate with Mayor Oh personally, and sometimes it feels like we are on the same team. Our policy stances are also similar." However, he emphasized, "The party's structure may have more influence than personal opinions." He reiterated, "We will definitely nominate a candidate for Seoul mayor."
Lee also predicted that the Democratic Party will continue to face difficulties in next year's Seoul mayoral race due to its real estate policies. Referring to the government's October 15 real estate measures, he criticized, "The biggest issue the Lee Jaemyung administration should avoid is the recurring housing problem every time the Democratic Party comes to power, but they are displaying excessive confidence."
He went on to mention that Chun Haram, the Reform New Party's floor leader, had pointed out potential legal issues with the criteria for designating regulated areas in the October 15 real estate measures. Lee criticized, "(The government) used inappropriate statistics and regulated real estate from an ideological perspective, thereby infringing on property rights. The public will not take this lightly."
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