Chun Ha-ram,  the head of the ruling People Power Party's(PPP) regional chapter in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province and close aide to former party chief Lee Jun-seok has announced that he is defecting to join Lee's new party.

At a press conference on Friday, Chun said he will lead a party foundation preparatory committee for the tentatively named "New Reform Party" with a resolve to create a new political force for the future alongside the people.

Having assessed that fundamentally reforming the PPP from inside within a short period of time would be very difficult, Chun said he has concluded that there is a great need for a new party and that success is highly possible.

The lawyer-turned-politician said the new party will not consider President Yoon Suk Yeol, PPP interim chief Han Dong-hoon, or main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung as the enemy but instead focus on tackling pressing issues like the low birth rate and low growth.

In an apparent effort to differentiate the new entity from the nation's two major rival parties locked in partisan strife, Chun pledged to overthrow regionalism in constituencies dominated by them.

Lee Ki-in, member of the Gyeonggi provincial assembly and another one of the former party chief's close aides, is expected to announce his departure from the PPP to join the new party Friday afternoon, while PPP Rep. Her Eu-na is set to announce her future plans next week.