Democratic Party Reelected Lawmakers: "We Strongly Agree with the Reflection Messages from First-Term Lawmakers and Will Join Together"

After the crushing defeat in the April 7 by-elections, a meeting of re-elected lawmakers to discuss the Democratic Party of Korea's reform direction was held on the 12th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Lawmakers attending the meeting are listening to the remarks of Representative Kim Cheol-min, who served as the moderator. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] On the 12th, Democratic Party lawmakers serving their second term, who have been contemplating party reform plans following the defeat in the April 7 by-elections, issued a statement saying, “We actively empathize with the message of reflection from first-term lawmakers and will join them.” Earlier, first-term Democratic Party lawmakers expressed their intention to reflect on the causes of the by-election defeat, mentioning candidate nominations and the handling of the ‘Cho Kuk incident.’

After holding a meeting on the morning of the same day, the second-term lawmakers released a statement saying, “We were insufficient in listening to voices that think differently from us, neglected people’s livelihoods during the political reform process, and were not fair and square in admitting our mistakes.”

They added, “We deeply reflect and introspect. And through concrete actions, we intend to renew ourselves,” and “Our second-term group will take the lead in gathering diverse voices within the party and shaping them into one strong voice.”

The second-term lawmakers said, “First, we will arrange time to listen to the opinions of conservative commentators who think differently from us, as well as professors, experts, and youth in their 20s and 30s,” and “We will also review whether there were policies or principles that encouraged hypocrisy.” They added, “We will be strict with ourselves first and firmly break away from the sentimentalism within us.”