Lee Jun-seok: "Jang Dong-hyeok Wants Unification That Excludes Potential Rivals"

According to The Financial News, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party (RP), criticized PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok on the 3rd over the expulsion of former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, saying, "Outwardly, he may talk about unification, but what he really means is unification that excludes anyone who could become a potential rival." He also signaled a negative stance on forming an electoral alliance with the PPP. Lee made the remarks while attending a forum titled "Diagnosis and Solutions for South Korea’s Conservative Movement in Crisis," hosted by the PPP’s younger lawmakers’ group Alternative and Future at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
Lee said, "There is a sentiment that only a very small number of politicians who have led both the first and second-largest parties can truly understand," adding, "From the moment you become party leader, about half the people who flock to you keep saying, 'You’re next for the presidency.' You hear it so often that it’s almost like brainwashing." He went on, "Coincidentally, Jang Dong-hyeok and former leader Han Dong-hoon must have felt the same way. Former leader Hwang Kyo-ahn also felt that way in the past."
He continued, "I worked with former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, so I remember almost all of former leader Hwang’s strategies to sideline Yoo," adding, "The strategy was clear: give nominations to everyone except Yoo Seong-min. If you apply that to today, it would mean not meeting me while continuing to grant nominations to Chun Ha-ram, the RP’s floor leader, and to lawmaker Lee Ju-young."
Lee said, "It is a strategy of elimination, but leaving aside whether it is good or bad, it is highly efficient," and added, "Back then, everyone except Yoo Seong-min received nominations, and instead of becoming a meaningful asset for the conservative camp, Yoo continued to be pushed out."
He went on, "I started to feel uneasy from the moment Jang began shouting, 'We are Hwang Kyo-ahn,'" and added, "It is a complex mix of emotions, but Jang seems to be grappling with the same concerns as former leader Hwang, at the same political moment, in the same post-impeachment landscape, and appears likely to make the same decisions."
Lee further stated, "I don’t know how Jang can make the same choices as former leader Hwang and still expect a different outcome, but it is highly likely to end in a similar way," adding, "Rather than simply criticizing or blaming Jang, I ask myself why I would knowingly walk into this kind of political unification. I think, 'After all the years I spent in politics with Yoo Seong-min, would I really do that?'"
When Alternative and Future lawmakers from the PPP proposed an electoral alliance with the Reform Party (RP) to secure victory in the local elections, Lee drew a clear line. He said, "When Jang was on hunger strike, I suggested that if his health deteriorated, we should put him in an ambulance and take him to Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House). But once it all ended with Park Geun-hye, it just felt futile," adding, "Shouldn’t we be working with people we can truly stand together with?" expressing his negative view.

haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter