Lee Jun-seok proves potential, but blamed for merger refusal

Rep. Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the minor conservative New Reform Party, may have proven himself as a new political force in South Korea's conservative landscape, but he faces criticism for his refusal to merge candidacies with People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo.

The merger between the youngest candidate in Korean history and Kim could have led to Lee Jae-myung's defeat, the conservatives believe.

According to the National Election Commission, Kim and Lee secured 41.1 percent and 8.34 percent of the vote, respectively, which together surpassed Lee Jae-myung’s 49.4 percent.

Lee’s candidacy had initially been viewed as a long shot. The New Reform Party held just three seats in the National Assembly and reportedly struggled to secure the 300 million won ($218,000) candidate deposit. Some dismissed his campaign as a maneuver to increase his political leverage after his ouster from the People Power Party.

Despite calls to consolidate the conservative vote, Kim Moon-soo failed to unify candidacies with Lee, who ran to the end on a reform platform.

“The burden now facing the conservative bloc is to prioritize innovation over mere alliances,” he said after the election.

According to exit polls conducted by the three major broadcasters, Lee secured 37.2 percent of the vote among men in their 20s, ahead of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung (24.0 percent) and People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo (36.9 percent). Among men in their 30s, he also garnered 25.8 percent, well above his national average of 7.7 percent.

His campaign also exposed key vulnerabilities. In the final televised presidential debate, Lee cited a sexually demeaning online post allegedly written by Lee Jae-myung’s son. Using the “chopsticks” reference, Lee asked another participant if he thought the comment was misogynistic.

The moment was widely deemed unnecessarily provocative. The same exit polls showed his support among women in their 20s and 30s at 10.3 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, much lower than for men of the same age, although it was still above average for all groups.

“Instead of focusing on policy or vision, Lee leaned heavily into negative attacks during the debate, and the chopsticks comment was unnecessarily provocative,” said Choi Yo-han, a political commentator. “Given that he was already being criticized for stoking gender divisions with pledges like abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality, it likely alienated many young female voters.”