Song Young-gil "20-Year Rule Theory, Worried It May Seem Arrogant to the People"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 16th, "I was inwardly worried when the idea of a 20-year rule emerged within the party."

On the afternoon of the same day, during a congratulatory speech at the 'Discussion on Promoting Amendments to the Public Official Election Act to Expand Women's Political Participation' hosted by the Democratic Party's National Women's Committee, Song emphasized the need for party-level innovation to regain power. This was a direct criticism of the '20-year rule' theory advocated by former leader Lee Hae-chan.

Song said, "It would be great to rule for 20 years, but to the public, it might appear arrogant," adding, "Just because we want to rule for 20 years doesn't mean it will happen. We must serve the people humbly and earn their recognition."

In the morning, during the National Assembly negotiation group leaders' speech, Song defined the Democratic Party's crushing defeat in the April 7 by-elections as "a judgment on rising housing prices, increased tax burdens, and the double standards related to real estate by government and ruling party officials." He then stated, "The decisive reason for the gap between the party's core and public opinion was the lack of democracy and communication within the party." He added, "Strengthening intra-party democracy and freely expressing one's opinions is more important than anything else. The moment one becomes intimidated by certain factions or falls into self-censorship, the Democratic Party begins to drift away from public sentiment."

Song said, "Our politics must change first," and added, "(I) organized ministerial confirmation hearings from the public's perspective and transformed the time of Cho Kuk into the people's time."