"No factions due to system nomination stabilization"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Woo Won-sik, a next-generation party leader candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, dismissed the view dividing the party into pro-Moon Jae-in and non-pro-Moon factions by saying, "Factions have already disappeared within the party." While emphasizing livelihood issues, he also made it clear that prosecutorial reform must go hand in hand.
On the 13th, Woo appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "I have been called non-pro-Moon by the media at times and also called broadly pro-Moon. When the pro-Moon side seems advantageous, they call me non-pro-Moon; it's complicated. Even I am not sure where I belong." He pointed out that these are just baseless external labels.
He added, "What is clear is that there are no traditional factions within the Democratic Party. We have made relentless efforts to eliminate factions, and through the Innovation Committee I belonged to, we established an elected official evaluation committee and stabilized a system of nominations. Therefore, it is correct to say that factions have already disappeared in our party," he emphasized.
Woo also said, "It is inappropriate to judge pro-Moon and non-pro-Moon based on slight personal tendencies. The top priority is to recreate the administration for the success of the Moon Jae-in Democratic government," adding, "Innovation should not be about exclusion but about embracing and expanding inclusiveness to strengthen our power."
He stressed the retroactive application of compensation for COVID-19 business losses and argued that a special committee should start operating this month to review related bills. However, he said prosecutorial reform should not be prioritized over this but pursued simultaneously.
Woo said, "Many people talk about livelihood reform versus prosecutorial reform as if they have to choose one, but it is not a dichotomy," adding, "Those who emphasize prosecutorial reform more would not suggest postponing livelihood reform. These issues should be resolved together and implemented as preparations are made."
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