Ex-PM questions main opposition's 'moral conscience'

Former Prime Minister and ex-main opposition leader Lee Nak-yon on Tuesday questioned "the moral conscience" of Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers as he moved one step closer toward the official launch of his own political party, planned for February.

"The existing main opposition party fails to be a match for the current Yoon Suk Yeol administration," Lee said in a keynote speech at a national convention for promoters and supporters hosted by his followers in Seoul.

"It's because they (lack moral and legal conscience). We plan to become a group that won't be held accountable on such matters and (one that will) openly criticize the Yoon administration and come up with resolutions," he added.

Lee's remarks echo his earlier comments claiming that "44 percent of Democratic Party lawmakers are criminals." He later apologized and corrected the number to 41 percent.

Lee had cited data compiled and released by the civic group, the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, in 2023 which showed that 41.2 percent of the 165 main opposition lawmakers at the time had at least one criminal record. But most of those convicted were charged with crimes tied to pro-democracy or pro-labor movements held throughout the 1970s and '80s. Only 16.4 percent of the total 165 were convicted of crimes such as assault, embezzlement or driving under the influence.

The ex-main opposition leader reaffirmed his alliance with other future and current leaders of new political parties against the current political landscape in Korea, which is dominated by the two largest parties.

The key members of the alliance -- former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, New Party Co-Chairman Keum Tae-sup and Hope of Korea Chairman Yang Hyang-ja -- were all present at Tuesday's event, in a show of support for Lee's plans. Former Democratic Party Reps. Cho Eung-chon, Kim Jong-min and Lee Won-wook, who recently quit the main opposition party to launch their own party, were in attendance as well.

Over 30,000 people signed up as promoters for the launch of Lee's new party, the ex-premier's spokesperson said Tuesday.

Lee had said in a Monday radio interview that over “20,000 promoters have signed up as of Sunday night" and that the number was projected to rise ahead of the deadline at midnight on Monday.

The ex-premier boasted that the figure was more than 100-fold of the required number to establish a new political party.

Hosting a national convention for promoters is a mandatory step in launching a new party under the country’s Political Parties Act. The law requires a new party to have at least 200 promoters before its official launch.

The convention comes a day after five lawmakers quit the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea to join Lee’s new party. Former lawmakers Shin Kyoung-min and Choi Woon-youl, ex-Goyang Mayor Choi Sung, former Bucheon Mayor Jang Deog-cheon and former Jecheon Mayor Lee Keun-kyu -- announced their decisions to leave the party four days after Lee announced his own departure ahead of the April general elections.

The fissure continues to deepen within the main opposition bloc as several lawmakers have voiced the need for the Democratic Party’s current Chairman Lee Jae-myung to step down and end what they call his monopolization of power within the party. Lee Jae-myung had refused to give up his position after the ex-prime minister last month asked him to step down.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung will resume his duties as the Democratic Party of Korea Chairman on Wednesday, starting with the meeting of the party's supreme council, the party's spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday. The announcement came two weeks after Lee was stabbed in his neck by a 67-year-old assailant, during his trip to Busan. Lee was recently discharged from the hospital after undergoing surgery.