Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, said on the 30th, “I receive many questions about whether I intend to participate in the big tent unification,” and “I can say directly that will not happen. I have no intention of responding to the naive political engineering that assumes 1 plus 1 will equal 2, or the 'blind unification.'
The candidate made these comments while participating in the 'Gwanhun Debate' held at the Gwanhun Club in Jung-gu, Seoul, earlier that morning.
He stated, “I cannot be with those who are responsible for the state of emergency and the early presidential election,” and “I believe that joining hands with those who have been living in delusion while enjoying privileges at the center of power will not be permitted by the common sense of the people.”
The candidate also noted, “It is unlikely that a coalition aimed solely at opposing a specific individual will be successful,” adding, “The world is heating up in competition for scientific and technological hegemony, and it is a meager goal for us to prioritize terminology opposing a specific individual as the spirit of the age, considering our ideals and capabilities.”
This seems to be a remark aimed at the People Power Party candidates for the presidential election, who are focusing all their efforts on stopping Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea.
The candidate commented, “The current big tent is merely another attempt at unifying factions,” asserting, “The politics of the past, characterized by division and chaos, power struggles, and impeachment, have led to the current situation. We cannot continue into the future with the outdated mentality that dividing into black and white will allow us to win by simply expanding our own faction.”
The candidate claimed, “This election must create a completely different starting line than before,” and emphasized, “We must fully capture the voices of the people who want to create an overwhelmingly new Republic of Korea in order to close one era and open a new one.”