On the 17th, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, evaluated the departure of former President Yoon Seok-yeol from the People Power Party as a “political tactic.” Regarding the continuous support from figures in the conservative camp for him, he commented, “Many people will join us.”
After finishing the 'eSports industry field meeting' in Gwangju that afternoon, the candidate met with reporters and said, “He should have been expelled regarding former President Yoon.” He added, “While hoping for the success of the People Power Party, if they talk about ‘going out for a while’ and ‘supporting,’ then why did they leave? I think it is a political tactic.”
He also said, “I anticipated that Yoon Seok-yeol would leave about 90 days ago. The reason is that it is not from sincerity but because I thought they would show that attitude for political tactics,” and added, “(The People Power Party) will probably soon bow deeply and say it will do well.”
The candidate emphasized, “It is really a problem for the People Power Party leadership not to clearly repent for the military coup that destroys constitutional order and to try to gloss over it with a temporary measure.” He expressed the hope that they would show a serious attitude to the public.
Regarding why independent lawmaker Kim Sang-wook, who left the People Power Party, and former Saenuri Party lawmaker Kim Yong-nam, who left the Reform Party, support the candidate, he said, “It is because the People Power Party is more of a vested interest group than a conservative party.”
The candidate stated, “Because the People Power Party is openly abandoning the values of conservatism, reasonable conservative politicians are leaving or being pushed out.” He added, “In this situation, I think the Democratic Party has to take on conservative values.”