Lee Jun-seok Abruptly Resigns as Reform Party Leader: "Failed to Garner Support for Self-Reliance and Reform"

[Anchor]

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, abruptly stepped down from his position today (the 26th), taking political responsibility for the crushing defeat in the June 3 local elections. Attention is now focused on what moves Lee will make depending on future political landscape shifts, including the conservative opposition bloc.

Reporter Kim Bo-mi has the details.

[Reporter]

Reform Party Leader Lee Jun-seok held a press conference at the National Assembly this morning and announced that he is stepping down as head of the party.

This comes 13 months after he took the helm again following the presidential election defeat in July of last year.

Lee stated that he had been agonizing over the party's self-reliance and reform following the disastrous defeat in the June 3 local elections, but failed to secure sufficient resonance within the party.

[Lee Jun-seok / Leader, Reform Party: I am stepping down as leader of the Reform Party today. This is no one's fault. The responsibility for failing to persuade others rests entirely on me as leader.]

In the June 3 local elections, the Reform Party managed to secure only a single seat for a local council member, followed by a series of bad news, including former Busan mayoral candidate Jeong I-han being investigated on charges of staging a knife attack hoax.

Rumors had swirled after Lee's side abruptly postponed a schedule just two hours before Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok was set to visit Lee to congratulate him on taking office the day before yesterday, but it was reported that Lee had already expressed his intent to resign to the party the previous evening.

Although the Reform Party launched internal reform efforts after the local elections, such as establishing an organization-strengthening special committee, differences of opinion regarding the party's future management direction reportedly surfaced.

[Lee Jun-seok / Leader, Reform Party: If I was rather obstructing what other members of the party wanted to do, I thought that vacating the position was the path I should choose for the party.]

Lee expressed his intention to focus on legislative activities for the time being, stating, "As a regular party member and a member of the National Assembly representing Dongtan 2 New Town, I will return to my place and do what needs to be done." Various interpretations are swirling around his remark that "unavoidable political schedules lie ahead of us."

As the conservative opposition bloc is likely to undergo realignment ahead of the 2028 general elections, attention is focused on what steps Lee will take in this process.

(Camera Reporter: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki)

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