Lee Jun-seok, leader of South Korea's Reform Party, abruptly resigned on the 26th, stepping down after a party overhaul he had pursued since the local elections stalled amid internal disagreement.
Lee announced his resignation at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, saying, "Today I am stepping down as leader of the Reform Party."
"For a little over three months since the local elections, I have reflected on and proposed ways to strengthen and reform the party," Lee said. "But I did not win enough support within the party."
"This is no one's fault," Lee added. "The responsibility for failing to persuade lies entirely with me as the leader."
Lee also explained that the party faces a political calendar that cannot be delayed. "The clock of politics waits for no one," he said. "I concluded that we cannot meet that schedule without agreement on our direction."
"If I was in fact blocking what other members of the party wanted to do, I thought vacating the position was the path to choose for the party's sake," Lee said, adding that he would "do the work at hand as a single party member and as the lawmaker for Dongtan 2 New Town."
The current leadership has also settled on resigning en masse alongside Lee. The Reform Party, which has relied heavily on Lee's political capital from its founding through its day-to-day operations, now faces a test of standing on its own following his departure. With only three seats in the National Assembly and limited personnel to lead the party, forming the next leadership and establishing a new rallying point have emerged as its biggest tasks.
