On the 12th, when the official election campaign began, Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, reiterated his stance that he would complete the presidential race. He also showed gestures to embrace the supporters of Hong Joon-pyo, the former mayor of Daegu, who declared his retirement from politics after losing in the primary of the People Power Party.
During a press conference held at the National Assembly's communication hall that morning, the candidate said, "I will win this presidential election with the 'Dongtan model,'" adding, "Just as I created a victory by defeating both parties in the southern Gyeonggi region during the last general election, I will also face this election confidently in a three-way structure."
The candidate remarked, "If the public recognizes the danger of Lee Jae-myung, who seeks to hold administrative power while possessing legislative authority with 190 seats and intimidates the judiciary, the support rate of the Democratic Party will decline," and noted, "If the support rate of the People Power Party, which cannot aspire to the future, falls to the 20% range, a structure of '4 to 4 to 2' will be formed, giving the Reform Party a chance to win."
He continued, "During the last general election, the People Power Party tempted us by saying 'to win, we must go with a two-way structure,' but we have never complied even once," and stated, "Unification is absolutely impossible in any form."
The candidate explained, "After Hong Joon-pyo, the former mayor, said he would enter a political hiatus, I asked whether there was anyone I could directly meet to provide help," adding, "Hong passed this information to a few people, and 2 to 3 expressed positive intent. An announcement regarding nominations will be made soon."
The candidate recently shared his views on Kim Yong-tae, the chairman of the emergency response committee recruited by Kim Moon-soo's People Power Party camp, saying, "Even I, who led the People Power Party to victory in the presidential and local elections, was defeated by their vested interests," and noted, "Considering the current strengthened hard-right tendencies of the People Power Party, the role of an appointed person will be limited."