Former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok's defection is just around the corner

Former leader of the ruling People’s Power Party Lee Jun-seok's anticipated defection from the party is just around the corner. Lee reaffirmed his intention to leave the party, saying that "nothing has changed" despite the launch of the PPP’s Innovation Committee and the transition to a new emergency committee. However, Lee's anguish over his impending departure seems to run deep. Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who was nominated as the new leader of the PPP’s emergency committee, dominated the ruling party's issues, and some of his aides who were labeled as Lee Jun-seok Kids chose to remain in the ruling party.

Lee announced his defection on December 27. A day earlier, on the 26th, former minister Han was appointed to the post of leader of the party’s emergency committee by the PPP’s National Committee. The timing of their appointments and defections overlapped, intensifying the public opinion battle. If Han makes an unconventional appointment, Han Dong-hoon’s emergency committee could overshadow the issue of Lee's defection. "When the date for the defection was set, all the media attention was focused on Lee, however, with Han’s appointment of the emergency committee members this week, he will steal the show," Kim Byung-min, a member of the PPP, said on MBC radio on December 25.

It is also hard to see who else will float the new party. Former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min is said to be out of the running. As for a possible alliance with Keum Tae-sup of the New Party and Yang Hyang-ja of the Hope for Korea, Lee has said only that he is "open to the possibility. A rift has also emerged in the team called "Cheon-Ah-Yong-In,” which refers to PPP members Cheon Haram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, and Lee Ki-in, who were united in March at the PPP’s National Convention. "I think it's my duty to the party and the members who voted for me to stay in the party," Kim Yong-tae said on CBS Radio on December 22.

Since the appointment of Han Dong-hoon was finalized, Lee has been distancing himself from the PPP. "I might meet with Han, but I don't think I'll have much to say to him," he told CBS Radio on December 21. This is a harsher stance than he took when he said on November 20. He said, "If he sends a message to the party in a reformative way, I might be able to become a comrade with him." Lee is likely to continue to mull over how to announce his departure and what to say.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.