"Despaired about What Could Change but Gained Courage Through Lawmaker Workshop"
"Will Build a Strong Democratic Party for Workers and Youth"
[Asia Economy reporters Naju Seok and Park Juni] 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 thrilling 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, and it was during the workshop on the 23rd and 24th," adding, "I felt that the eyes, words, and actions of Democratic Party lawmakers struggling to save the party 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 for innovation, someone like me, who has no faction, could not bring about any change," and confessed, "But watching the words of our lawmakers at the workshop, I felt the party could change, so I decided to struggle. It is a path with no guarantees and difficult, but I gained the courage to try."
Park said, "What the constituents, party members, and public want is a completely changed Democratic Party," and added, "I thought that a person 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," and added, "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."
Park said, "Something surprising will happen at the party convention," and added, "Some say my candidacy will be a storm in a teacup, but I will turn it into the calm before the storm." Regarding Lee Jae-myung, who is mentioned as a leading candidate for party leadership, he said, "Come out," and added, "Let's strongly compete over what innovation means to you and the innovation of the Democratic Party." He also said, "As a member, I said Lee Jae-myung should not be exhausted, but now that I am a candidate, I want to discuss the direction and content of innovation with him."
Regarding the values of the Democratic Party, Park said, "I will make it a Democratic Party that excites the youth," and added, "I think the Democratic Party should be by the side of many people who have not been invited to advanced South Korea." He continued, "Many people are workers but are called business owners, not protected by labor rights, and excluded from social welfare systems," and said, "There are young people who cannot be protected by anyone, called freelance platform workers, and I think we need to 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," and said, "The Democratic Party must firmly build that ladder and be a reliable party for workers represented by the common people and marginalized youth."
During the Q&A with reporters, regarding the successive candidacies of 97-generation lawmakers such as Kang Byung-won, Kang Hoon-sik, and Park Joo-min, Park said, "I have many differences in values and vision with the lawmakers called the 97 generation, and we have differed whenever our party made choices before," but added, "I consider them comrades who cooperate during competition." However, he said, "Saying let's have generational change only among people of similar age is a really outdated approach," and added, "I think the power of generational change should lead to era change, political change, and mainstream change," and said, "I want to work with many comrades called the 97 generation, competing with different values and sometimes cooperating to open the way."
Regarding the party convention regulations as a candidate, Park said, "Now that I have decided to run, it is not appropriate to complain," but added, "In every interview, I say that if the 50-50 rule is not changed, the party will overrepresent certain claims and strong voices," and said, "That causes a phenomenon of disconnect with the people."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
