Park Yong-jin: "I will change the resignation that the leader is Lee Jae-myung anyway to the expectation of Park Yong-jin"

"Despaired about What Could Change but Gained Courage Through Lawmaker Workshop"
"Will Build a Strong Democratic Party for Workers and Youth"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared on the 30th that he will run for party leader in the upcoming party convention in August. Park said, "I will change the resignation of 'Eodaemyeong' (Anyway, the leader is Lee Jae-myung) into the exciting expectation called Park Yong-jin."

On the same day, Park held a press conference at the National Assembly to announce his candidacy for the party leader election. Park said, "You might ask when I thought about running (it was during the workshop on the 23rd and 24th)," adding, "I felt that the eyes, words, and actions of Democratic Party lawmakers who said the party must struggle to survive had changed. Seeing that, I, who was hesitating, made my final decision."

He said, "To be honest, I was somewhat trapped in a despairing frame, thinking that without the struggle to innovate, what change could someone like me, who has no faction, bring about?" He confessed, "But during the workshop, listening to our lawmakers, I felt the party could change, and I must struggle. It's a path with no guarantees and difficult, but I gained the courage to try."

Park said, "What the district residents, party members, and public want is a completely changed Democratic Party," adding, "I thought that someone who has thought, spoken, and acted differently from the existing Democratic Party should raise the flag of innovation."

He said, "Factions cannot overcome public sentiment, and fandom must be among the people to exert power," adding, "I believe the Democratic Party will become like that. Protecting the common sense and standards of the people is the path the Democratic Party must take and the way to become a victorious party."

Regarding the values of the Democratic Party, Park said, "I will make the Democratic Party that excites the youth," adding, "There are many people in advanced South Korea who have not been invited, and I think the Democratic Party must be by their side." He continued, "Many are workers but are called business owners, not protected by labor rights, and excluded from social welfare systems," adding, "There are young people who cannot be protected by anyone under the fancy term 'freelance platform workers,' and I think we must newly establish values and move forward as a Democratic Party that stands with them."

Park emphasized, "We must provide a ladder to the middle class," adding, "The Democratic Party must firmly build that ladder and be a strong party for workers represented by the common people and marginalized youth."