Lee Jin-sook, Asked Whether She Would Run in a "Tough Seoul Metropolitan Area District," Says, "I Won't Refuse If the Party Wants Me To"

\r\n
[The Financial News] Lee Jin-sook, the former Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, said she would not rule out running in a by-election in a tough district in the Seoul metropolitan area if the People Power Party asks her to.
In a phone interview with SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" on the 28th, Lee was asked by the host, "If the party asks you to go out and fight in tough Seoul metropolitan area districts such as Hanam-gap, Gyeonggi Province, or Ansan-gap, would you accept?" She replied, "If there is anything I can do to stop the expansion of the reckless Democratic Party of Korea administration, I will not refuse any role."
After saying it was true that there had been talk inside the People Power Party about a final primary between herself and Choo Kyung-ho, the party's Daegu mayoral candidate, she explained that her decision not to run as an independent in the Daegu mayoral race came from a sense of putting the party first. She said she did not want to "bring about a result that would benefit the Democratic Party of Korea."
Lee said once again, "I was worried that whether I left the party and ran as an independent, or stayed and went through the final primary, the result would only benefit the opposing party." She added, "I decided not to run because I thought both an independent bid and the final primary would ultimately hurt the party and create a situation favorable to Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Boo-kyum."
When asked about a possible run in the Dalseong County by-election, Choo Kyung-ho's district, she avoided a direct answer, saying, "It is not appropriate to answer at a time when Representative Choo has not resigned." She stressed, "My task is to help the People Power Party candidate win against the Democratic Party of Korea candidate."
When the host then asked whether she had met with party leader Jang Dong-hyuk in Seoul on the 23rd before the press conference on the 25th, Lee said, "I met him on April 9, before he visited the United States." She added, "At that time, Leader Jang asked me to come into the National Assembly and join forces in the fight against the reckless Democratic Party of Korea administration, and he made a similar request this time as well."
On calls for Jang Dong-hyuk to step down, she said, "If the party leader resigns with less than 40 days left before the election, it will create even greater confusion." She added that "to properly fight the June 3 local elections, the party must stand united as one."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter