Reform Party fails to hit 10%

[Anchor]

The Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok emphasized generational change and alternatives for conservatism, but he failed to achieve the expected double-digit vote percentage.

Facing evaluations of limited scalability, the Reform Party stated that they would find meaning in completing the race and prepare for the next steps.

Reporter Park Young-min has the story.

[Report]

Candidate Lee Jun-seok had hoped for a vote percentage in the 10% range based on various opinion polls.

However, the final vote percentage was only 8.34%.

[Lee Jun-seok/Former Reform Party presidential candidate: "I take full responsibility for the results of this election."]

Within the party, despite recognition of strong support among from males aged 20 to 39, there are also evaluations that there was a lack of broader appeal to other generations and women.

A key example is the 'quote of violent language against women' that emerged at the end of the election.

The Reform Party, however, placed significant meaning on completing the race.

The vote percentage in the presidential election is more than double the 3% range they received in the last general election.

[Kim Jong-in/Former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party/KBS 1 Radio Current Affairs: "Getting close to 8% is, in my view, a stepping stone for Lee Jun-seok to build his political foundation."]

The election costs were fully covered by donations, so there are no financial issues for the party.

The Reform Party plans to accelerate its independent power-building through next year's local elections.

[Cheon Ha-ram/Reform Party Permanent Election Committee Chairman: "The members of the Reform Party will work together with candidate Lee Jun-seok to ensure that these achievements do not scatter and will focus on preparing for the local elections from now on."]

However, the dissatisfaction within the conservative camp regarding the failure of unification between Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok, which led to the presidential defeat, is expected to be a significant challenge that the Reform Party must overcome as it positions itself as the future and alternative of conservatism.

KBS News, Park Young-min.