[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] In response to the sudden sad news of Mayor Park Won-soon's passing, the United Future Party expressed condolences but remained reserved about the 'Me Too allegations.' At the same time, they continued sharp criticism toward the government and ruling party regarding real estate policies and the leak of discussions about Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's directive on investigations.
Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the United Future Party, expressed condolences at the floor leaders' meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 10th, saying, "I deeply regret Mayor Park's tragic choice. I offer my sincere condolences to the bereaved family." However, he refrained from commenting on the late Mayor Park's 'Me Too allegations.' After the meeting, when asked by reporters about support for Me Too victims, Joo said, "We are currently verifying the victim's position and the exact facts," adding, "We intend to help, but there is a risk of secondary damage if handled carelessly," showing a cautious stance.
Joo also strongly criticized the leak of information related to Justice Minister Choo's directive on investigations, calling it "an issue punishable as official secret leakage." He said, "The content of the Justice Minister's investigative directive is an official secret, so it must be clarified how a draft leaked to Representative Choi Kang-wook of the Open Democratic Party." He raised his voice, saying, "According to Representative Choi, he copied a post by former Representative Choi Min-hee, so it must be clearly explained how former Representative Choi obtained it." He continued, "Reports say that the plan for the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to jointly establish a special investigation headquarters was almost agreed upon but then fell apart. If so, this plan, which reflected opinions from both the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution, was broken due to external intentions," adding, "Since there are signs that the pre-directive content was reported and coordinated with the Blue House, isn't it possible that this agreement was also broken by the Blue House?"
Lee Jong-bae, chairman of the Policy Committee, also criticized the government's real estate policy. He said, "The government is announcing its 22nd measure today, including the highest increase in comprehensive real estate tax rates, but every time they announce, it disturbs the real estate market and causes adverse effects, so I am not sure if it can be called a measure," adding, "The government thinks punitive taxation is a panacea, but the comprehensive tax increases only increase the pain of actual users by locking up listings, shifting tax burdens to monthly rents, or destabilizing rental markets." The United Future Party plans to launch a special committee on real estate measures this afternoon in relation to this.
He also criticized, "There are indications that the Financial Supervisory Service effectively neglected the 'Optimus scandal,' which involved key ruling party figures and a 500 billion won fund fraud case," adding, "There are suspicions that the wife of lawyer Yoon, a director of Optimus, who worked at the Blue House's Office of Civil Affairs, influenced the Financial Supervisory Service's neglect. If so, they cannot escape criticism as accomplices in the Optimus scandal."
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