With less than 50 days until the 6·3 early presidential election, the ‘anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent’ concept has emerged as a hot topic in political circles. The theory of appointing Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has surfaced, and as centrist figures like Oh Se-hoon, the Mayor of Seoul, and Yoo Seong-min, a former lawmaker, have declared not to run, it has quickly risen as a ‘new scenario’ for the People Power Party.
In particular, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, a representative figure of the opposition's anti-Lee Jae-myung faction, is noted to be leaning toward joining the big tent by raising the ‘coalition for constitutional amendment,’ indicating signs that the political landscape will be restructured into pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions.
On the 15th, Lee Nak-yon (former leader of the New Future Party) stated in a phone call with ChosunBiz regarding the possibility of joining the ‘anti-Lee big tent’ that “the simultaneous dismantling of the politics of Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung is the spirit of the age, and I have been saying this consistently.” He emphasized, “Those who cannot achieve that cannot just pitch their tents as they please.”
It is interpreted as the intention to align with the big tent envisioned by the People Power Party around the broader picture of anti-Lee. However, it seems to imply that the relationship with former President Yoon Suk-yeol must be resolved as a prerequisite.
The New Future Democratic Party will hold a large-scale rally urging constitutional amendment at 5 p.m. on the 17th at the Yongsan Memorial Hall in Seoul. It is reported that they have proposed attendance at the rally to former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who declared not to participate in the primary, and former lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan, as well as to Yoo Seong-min of the People Power Party, known as the ‘pro-impeachment faction’. This is viewed as a move to establish a coalition to confront Lee, a leading candidate from the Democratic Party, through the so-called ‘constitutional amendment’.
Jeon Byeong-heon, the leader of the New Future Democratic Party, told ChosunBiz, “Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, former lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan, and others from the Democratic Party have opted out of the primary, and it seems they have the will to run for president.” He added, “The possibility of the anti-Lee coalition becoming a reality is increasing.” He emphasized that he would act as a platform for selecting a ‘people's candidate’ for the coalition for constitutional amendment.
The plan is to engage as many figures from the anti-Lee faction, including Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, as well as former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and former lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan, to select a ‘people's candidate’ and then pursue unification with the People Power Party's candidate. Jeon also noted at a press conference on the 10th that “political forces agreeing on anti-Lee should unite to propose a coalition for constitutional amendment” and did not rule out the possibility of a candidate unification with the People Power Party.
Candidates from the pro-Yoon faction of the People Power Party are directly mentioning the possibility of forming a coalition government, repeatedly sending ‘love calls’. They aim to recreate the unification model of Roh Moo-hyun and Chung Mong-joon, which emerged in 2002 under the ‘anti-Lee Hoi-chang coalition’ to defeat Lee Jae-myung in this election.
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo appeared on SBS Radio and said, “Not only the reformist party but also the anti-Lee Jae-myung forces of the Democratic Party must join together to block Lee Jae-myung.” He added, “Once our party’s candidate is born, we must create an anti-Lee Jae-myung coalition centered around that person.”
Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, while visiting the Park Chung-hee Memorial Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul, met with reporters and in response to the question, “Do you think an anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent is necessary?” he replied, “It has to be done,” and “I believe we must unite in any case to defeat Lee Jae-myung.”
Recently, the People Power Party reportedly inquired about the intention of former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon's participation in the ‘anti-Lee big tent.’
On the political front, it is analyzed that the success of the ‘anti-Lee big tent’ depends on whether a push for constitutional amendment will take place.
Political commentator Choi Soo-young noted, “(The anti-Lee big tent is) a card to be played until the end, mobilizing all possible imaginations,” adding that “since they are all heterogeneous groups, the prerequisite for success is that they must agree on constitutional amendment.”
In other words, they need to classify Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the Democratic Party who is passive about constitutional amendment, as a ‘pro-constitution faction’ and group the rest as ‘constitutional amendment faction,’ thereby obtaining justification for coalition government through political reform, power decentralization, and the abolition of the imperial presidency. If they diverge with distinct support bases and positions, it will be difficult to form a coalition.
The resolution of the relationship with former President Yoon Suk-yeol from the conservative camp is expected to be crucial for the success of the big tent. A political insider said, “Under the principle of separating constitutional amendment from former President Yoon, (the big tent candidates) will be able to coordinate their heterogeneous elements.”