Lee Jun-seok declares presidential ambition in speech citing Elon Musk, JFK, Obama

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Lee Jun-seok declares presidential ambition in speech citing Elon Musk, JFK, Obama

Splinter conservative Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok speaks at a press conference in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 2. [NEWS1]

Splinter conservative Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok speaks at a press conference in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 2. [NEWS1]

 
Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok cited U.S. presidents and Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday in a speech widely regarded as his bid for president, calling for a generational change of guard. 
 
“John F. Kennedy sent a person to the moon after becoming a leader of the United States at the age of 43, and Barack Obama became the first Black president at the age of 46,” said Lee, a 39-year-old first-time lawmaker of the splinter conservative party.
 

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Lee said the average age in Korea is around the 40s, adding that “our generation, born and raised in a developed country, should now take Korea one step further to match its status as an advanced nation.”
 
If the Constitutional Court of Korea upholds President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, an early presidential election will take place later this year. If the president dies, resigns or is ousted, a presidential election must be held within 60 days of the event being finalized.
 
If the election takes place after March 30, when Rep. Lee turns 40, he will be old enough to run for president.
 
Lee said “three points” must be addressed to “overcome Korea’s current crisis.” He then advocated for abolishing age-based hierarchy, minimizing regulation and creating a fair society through education.
 
“We are witnessing both conservatives and progressives losing their core values and falling into self-contradiction,” said Lee. “It is time to put an end to this era of outdated politics.”
 
“Like U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, we need to cut out all inefficiency in the public sector, even if there isn’t a dedicated government efficiency department,” said Lee. “We must eliminate wasteful spending and stop squandering taxpayer money.”
 
“We must wage total war against anti-intellectualism,” said Lee, criticizing conspiracies of rigged elections, frequently brought up by pro-Yoon supporters, citing the narrative as justification for the impeached president’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. 
 
Lee, who was ousted as conservative People Power Party (PPP) chief in 2022 over sexual bribery allegations, has often clashed with the party's pro-Yoon faction.
 
The Harvard graduate was elected PPP chairman in June 2021, becoming the youngest-ever leader of the party and its predecessors at 36.
 
Young male voters in their 20s to 40s form his key political base, a phenomenon that many attribute to his often brazen anti-feminist rhetoric.
 
In one such example, Lee told the Korea Economic Daily in 2021 that “women in their 20s and 30s have clearly developed a baseless victim mentality, thinking they are being discriminated against, through novels, films and other media.”
 
Lee had a 1 percent approval rating in a survey Gallup Korea released Jan. 27.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
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