[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil plans to announce his position on whether he will run for Seoul mayor on the 1st of next month.
Song Young-gil, Standing Election Committee Chairman, is giving a greeting at the disbandment ceremony of the Election Countermeasures Committee held at the Democratic Party Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
At the Democratic Party members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st, former leader Song, when asked by reporters about 'running for Seoul mayor,' replied, "I plan to make a decision by tomorrow."
Since Song Young-gil, who lives in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, must move his residence to Seoul by the 2nd of next month to run for Seoul mayor, he said, "There are still two days left," and "I will think about it."
He stated, "Those who supported us say they don't even watch TV news, and seeing the recent actions of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, their disappointment has grown so much that they have nowhere to put their hearts," adding, "If our party practically gives up on the Seoul mayoral election, it will affect the entire country." He continued, "This is not a personal matter but a responsibility as someone who served as party leader; I believe the party must take responsibility to soothe the pain," and said, "Some strongly requested, and even Representative Jeong Seong-ho came to speak with me, so I am considering it."
He also said, "If good people like former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, former Representative Lim Jong-seok, Representative Park Ju-min, and former Minister Park Young-sun, as Representative Woo Sang-ho said, are doing well and are competitive, there is no need for me to be mentioned."
Regarding the critical views on the leadership responsible for the presidential election defeat running again, Song said, "The party members and the public will judge," adding, "That is why I am not saying that I will run. The party needs to think about it."
At the members' meeting that day, Song voiced opinions related to easing real estate policies.
He emphasized, "We need to further ease the comprehensive real estate holding tax (종부세)," and said, "When I was party leader, there was a debate over easing the comprehensive real estate holding tax and capital gains tax, and I stressed that if we did not ease these, we could not win the presidential election. Because we managed to make some changes, we reduced the gap of 800,000 votes lost in the Seoul mayoral by-election." He added, "I think the Democratic Party was evaluated for its movement toward easing taxes and expanding supply regarding real estate issues."
Song Young-gil plans to announce his position on running for Seoul mayor tomorrow through his Facebook page.
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