Song Young-gil "Party opinions must be reflected in all policies... Resolve the 'Kim Bu-seon' issue and consider the 'Dalbit Railroad'"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in, who had lunch with the new ruling party leadership at the Blue House on the 14th, urged the new leadership to "unite the party well." While saying, "I don't think we need to have the same voice on every issue," he emphasized unity, stating, "It is when we come together as one that we can be strong."
Party leader Song Young-gil responded that for President Moon to become a successful president, he must be re-endorsed in next year's presidential election, and for that, the party's opinions must be reflected in policies. He also mentioned that projects like the 'Dalbit Railroad,' connecting Daegu and Gwangju, should be considered.
At the meeting and lunch with the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea that day, President Moon said, "We must turn the bitter defeat in the by-elections into a medicine and demonstrate the government's and ruling party's competence by addressing the most painful and difficult issues of the people."
President Moon emphasized, "Competence comes from a united appearance," adding, "In the past, as the term neared its end, gaps sometimes appeared between the government and the ruling party, and the party showed division due to competition ahead of elections. I hope we create a new history."
He said, "I don't think we need to have the same voice on every issue, but when diverse opinions emerge and those opinions head in the same direction, and through deep communication, we ultimately come together as one, and when such unity is consistently maintained, we can give hope to the people."
This appears to be in reference to recent controversies over real estate policies and ministerial appointments, where the party and the Blue House were seen as being out of sync.
Regarding his 4th anniversary speech, he said, "I thought the remaining one year of the term is more important than any other period in the past four years," and "I wanted to tell the people what our government should especially do in the remaining year and how to prepare for the future."
President Moon emphasized, "There are many livelihood issues that the party, government, and Blue House must solve together, such as jobs, real estate, and inequality, and these problems must be resolved," adding, "I believe the government and ruling party must demonstrate competence in building the foundation for Korea's New Deal carbon neutrality and leapfrogging as a leading country."
He expressed his hope that "the new leadership will unite the party well and, with that strength, foster closer communication and cooperation among the party, government, and Blue House to give the people hope for the present and future," and said, "Today, I will consider this a listening session. Please speak freely," showing his willingness to communicate with the party.
In response, Leader Song said, "I think the 4th anniversary press conference was the best among all previous ones," and "The president's candid answers to reporters' questions were very substantial and accurate diagnoses, which gave us a strong sense of reassurance."
However, he emphasized that for re-endorsement in next year's presidential election, the party's opinions must be reflected in policies.
Song said, "The party must be re-endorsed by the people on March 9 next year for President Moon to continue as a successful president, so we have written 'D-299' in the party leader's office and are working toward that," adding, "Therefore, it is necessary for the party's opinions to be reflected more in all future policies."
He stressed that the issue of the metropolitan area express railroad (GTX)-D line must also be strategically reviewed. Song said, "Because the D line became the 'GimBuSeon (Gimpo-Bucheon line),' there has been significant public discontent in the western region, to the extent that six lawmakers announced they would go on a hunger strike today," adding, "I will conduct a strategic review of this issue together with the policy chief."
He also urged improvements in pledges for the presidential election. Song said, "We should consider the 'Dalbit Railroad' connecting Daegu and Gwangju, which the president also pledged," and "for the next presidential election, the president's pledges need to progress," advising. He also urged solutions to current issues such as the Chungju urban railroad problem.
He also mentioned prosecution and media reform issues. Song said, "We launched the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and for the first time in Korean history, broke the monopoly on prosecution and separated investigative powers between the prosecution and police, but it seems these achievements have not been fully recognized," adding, "we will closely consult with the Blue House on how to adjust the pace of separating prosecution and investigation powers."
He added, "Media reform is also necessary beyond party lines to properly establish the media environment in our Republic of Korea." Additionally, Song emphasized cooperation on issues such as real estate, vaccines, the Korea-US summit, the semiconductor sector, and the small modular reactor (SMR) in the nuclear power field. Song explained, "The US Biden administration is conducting specialized research on SMRs in the nuclear power sector for carbon neutrality," and "there is a need for strategic cooperation between Korea and the US on SMRs and the nuclear power waste market."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
