Reform Party Clashes over Southern Gyeonggi Strategy... Cheon Haram: "Stands Firm on Suncheon Bid"

Lee Giin: "One Final Public Appeal"... Cheon: "I'll Do My Best in Suncheon"
Emergency Committee Says It Will Decide Where He Runs by the End of October
Organization Strengthening Special Committee Review to Be a Turning Point

The Reform New Party has clashed publicly over its “southern Gyeonggi hub strategy” for the next general election. After Emergency Committee Chair Lee Giin made a final public appeal to Floor Leader Cheon Haram to run in southern Gyeonggi, Cheon pushed back, reaffirming his intention to run in Suncheon Gap.

At an emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on Oct. 26, Lee said, “I said we would reach a decision by the end of October on whether Floor Leader Cheon would run in a constituency,” adding, “I am making a final public appeal for him to join us in the southern Gyeonggi hub strategy.”

Lee noted that Cheon had chosen to run for a proportional representation seat instead of running in Suncheon ahead of the 2024 general election. “It is difficult to accept that the party’s strategy, which you followed when entering the National Assembly, is viewed only as coercion when we ask you to share a different responsibility for the party’s survival,” he said.

Reform New Party Emergency Committee Chair Lee Giin (left) and floor leader Cheon Haram attend an emergency committee meeting on the 26th, each stating their position. Photo courtesy of Yonhap News.

Lee also recalled that, during the so-called “Cheon-A-Yong-In” period, Cheon had argued that proportional representation lawmakers and party leaders should run in difficult districts. “We are now asking ourselves to take on the responsibility we once asked of others,” Lee said, pressing the point that “those who have enjoyed the party’s authority and benefits should also share the weight of that responsibility.”

“We are not gathering in southern Gyeonggi because it is favorable or because victory is guaranteed,” Lee said, stressing the need to bring together the party’s personnel and organization to devise a shared strategy for survival. He made a public appeal, saying, “I have no confidence that we can do this without Cheon Haram. Let’s live together, and if we die, let’s die together.”

Cheon, however, stood firm on his decision to remain in Suncheon Gap, South Jeolla Province. “I hope to continue serving as the Suncheon Gap party committee chair and will do my utmost to win a seat in the general election in Suncheon,” he said. “I have no intention of moving to a constituency in southern Gyeonggi.”

He added, “The more difficult the times, the more important it is to uphold principles and maintain the public’s trust,” and said, “It is necessary for both me and the party that I faithfully fulfill my role in Suncheon, as I promised the residents of Suncheon.”

Earlier, Lee announced a reform plan to focus the party’s resources on southern Gyeonggi—including Hwaseong, Suwon, Yongin, Seongnam, Pyeongtaek and Osan—in the 2028 general election. He also proposed a principle that party leaders and incumbent proportional representation lawmakers should run in constituencies in the next general election rather than seek proportional representation nominations. With the emergency committee set to reach a decision by the end of October, the party organization-strengthening committee’s review of Suncheon Gap is expected to be a turning point for both the southern Gyeonggi strategy and internal party tensions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.