Participant Autonomy 21 "Democratic Party Gwangju Branch Must Sit Down and Talk with Citizens"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Civic groups in the Gwangju area have called on the Democratic Party of Korea, which enjoys a monopolistic one-party status in the region, to respond to the disappointment and distrust expressed by citizens surrounding it with innovation.

On the 7th, Participation and Autonomy 21 issued a press release stating, “Voices of citizens expressing disappointment with the Democratic Party and demanding reform are growing louder, and the Democratic Party government born from the candlelight protests was replaced after five years,” adding, “This is the result of neglecting the reforms citizens desire and settling into creating vested interests, and the disappointment with the Democratic Party’s Gwangju branch is growing day by day.”

They continued, “During the last presidential election, the Democratic Party promised to immediately pursue political reform starting from the local elections regardless of the election outcome,” but “the Democratic Party’s promises for political reform, such as the full expansion of the proportional representation system to secure political diversity, runoff voting for major elected positions including the president, and a full transition to large electoral districts in local councils, have not been kept.”

Furthermore, “During the last presidential election period, after experiencing the Hakdong and Hwajeong-dong disasters, then-party leader Song Young-gil promised to listen to the demands of Gwangju’s civil society and to delegate follow-up work to the Democratic Party’s Gwangju branch, pledging to hold follow-up meetings with the party delegation,” but “this promise was also broken; no one took responsibility, and the matter was swept under the rug,” they raised their voices.

They also stated, “Although a fact-finding investigation and measures were promised regarding Councilor A of the 8th council, who is currently on the run due to bribery charges, and Councilor B, a re-elected member of the 9th council, who was reported for violations of the Minimum Wage Act and election laws, there has been no word for over two weeks,” emphasizing, “Even though the city council, where the Democratic Party holds an absolute majority, promised to open an ethics committee to address this issue upon its inauguration, we cannot help but question whether there is any will to handle this matter strictly.”

Along with this, they said, “From the way the Democratic Party is acting during the election process for a district chairperson in Seo-gu, we begin to suspect that the Democratic Party has completely degenerated into a vested interest party,” adding, “One member, whose role as a proportional representative of the Democratic Party is unclear, ran as a candidate for district chairperson by leveraging a small local connection in Gwangju to become a district councilor.”

They also remarked, “The candidacy of a seasoned candidate who served as Minister of Justice and a three-term lawmaker, and who had previously shifted between parties to avoid political disadvantages rather than standing on principles, is also shocking,” urging, “We call on the Democratic Party to reflect on the role it is playing in the current political landscape dominated by its absolute monopoly.”

They concluded, “What citizens expect from the Democratic Party’s Gwangju branch is not just symbolic status as a bastion of democracy or the party’s stronghold, but great politics that lead Gwangju to improve people’s livelihoods and advance reforms,” adding, “We hope the Democratic Party’s Gwangju branch will put aside outdated vested interest practices and engage in dialogue with Gwangju citizens for new politics.”