Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Committee Chairman, Warns Party Lawmakers... "Strictly Prohibit Personal Attacks and Divisive Language"

Declared to party lawmakers at press conference
Emergency Committee plans to complete formation of Preliminary Committee within two weeks

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed his aspirations to lead the committee and warned party lawmakers, "Personal attacks, black propaganda, and divisive language are strictly prohibited."

On the 12th, Woo held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "A party that loses an election cannot recover if it approaches the situation not with humble evaluation but by blaming each other and emphasizing the responsibility of opposing factions." He added, "Key party figures, party officials, and members of the National Assembly should exercise special restraint in the language they use."

He sharpened his tone, saying, "When I was the floor leader, I never tolerated lawmakers making unnecessary remarks. You all should be careful." He continued, "I will not tolerate people using words like 'subak' (watermelon)." He explained, "What does 'subak' mean? It implies that the exterior is the Democratic Party, but the inside is the People Power Party. How can you attack members of the same party like that?" The term 'subak' is used among the Democratic Party's hardline supporters to describe politicians who appear green (the Democratic Party's symbolic color) on the outside but are red (People Power Party's symbolic color) inside. Recently, controversy arose when Representative Lee Won-wook posted a photo of a watermelon on Facebook.

At the conference, Woo identified trust and division crises as factors threatening the Democratic Party and emphasized the need for structural change within the party. He said, "Our first goal is to become a competent party for the people's livelihood," adding, "We can regain trust by demonstrating competence even in small livelihood issues."

He also stated, "The Democratic Party is no longer the ruling party but the opposition," and emphasized, "As a strong opposition party, we must have a clear identity. We need to have strong and bold capabilities to check the government's mistakes." He further explained, "Politics without dialogue, persuasion, and compromise acts as a negative factor that deepens public conflict. If we succeed in establishing a certain foundation, I am confident that the Democratic Party can be reborn through the party convention."

Regarding future schedules and plans, he pledged to finalize the formation of the Emergency Response Committee and prioritize the establishment of the Party Convention Preparation Committee. He also said they would begin forming an evaluation team to assess the presidential and local elections. He announced that Seo Nan-yi, a Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly member representing '30s, women, and Honam,' was appointed as an additional member of the Emergency Response Committee. The formation of the Emergency Response Committee and the Preparation Committee is expected to be completed within next week.

Additionally, he added that the role of the Emergency Response Committee would be limited to allow the next leadership to lead the party. He explained, "It is more appropriate for the next leadership to use the election evaluation as a reference for leading the party afterward," and added, "According to party rules, various units are responsible for establishing basic units, so the Emergency Response Committee will be careful not to give excessive guidelines and cause further internal conflicts."

Regarding the reinstatement of Representative Min Hyung-bae, who left the party during the prosecution reform push, Woo firmly stated that there was no intention to request his return. He said, "The issue related to the complete withdrawal of prosecution powers is currently pending at the Constitutional Court," and added, "We recognize Representative Min's dedication and efforts during the process, but the Constitutional Court's ruling must come first."

On the ratio of delegate votes reflected in the party convention, he acknowledged, "I think the party members' claim that reasonable adjustment is necessary is valid. However, it is more appropriate for the Preparation Committee to make reasonable adjustments rather than the Emergency Response Committee chairman setting a fixed guideline." He elaborated, "The number of party members has increased significantly in the past 2-3 years. As a result, the delegate-to-member ratio, which was 1:40, has risen to 1:90, raising concerns about reflecting party members' opinions. This is a current situation that requires adjustment."