Ruling Party Leadership Candidates Seek to Capture 'Party Sentiment' on New Year's Day (Comprehensive)

Attended New Year's Meeting
Left Mark While Educating Party Members
Also Visited Hyeonchungwon Separately

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Candidates preparing to run for the People Power Party leadership showed efforts to win party support from the first day of the new year, about two months ahead of the party convention.

Kim Ki-hyun, the People Power Party lawmaker who was the first to announce his candidacy within the parliamentary faction, attended the New Year's greeting event held at the central party office on the 1st and said, "I believe we need to firmly recognize the values and importance pursued by the conservative party, strengthen our roots, and make efforts to expand our outreach." He added, "By engaging in intense external discussions that align with the public sentiment and reflecting deeply on them, and by uniting behind the conclusions drawn from those discussions, I hope we can become a party that speaks with one voice and enters the hearts of the people."

Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo also attended the New Year's greeting event as a candidate for party leader and emphasized, "Winning the next general election, the following local elections, and then regaining the presidency again are the tasks given to us." He added, "Since my constituency is Daejang-dong, I will also take the lead in fighting against the opposition."

On the morning of the 1st, at the 2023 People Power Party New Year's Meeting held at the Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Mok Yo-sang, Yoo Heung-soo, Senior Advisor Yoo Joon-sang, party leadership candidates Kim Ki-hyun, Ahn Cheol-soo, Cho Kyung-tae, and party officials are cutting a rice cake cake. 2023.1.1 [Joint Coverage] [Image Source=Yonhap News]

Assemblyman Cho Kyung-tae also said, "For South Korea to grow more futuristically, the People Power Party and the ruling party must have a self-sacrificing spirit like a candle." He added, "I pray that 2023 will be the year of reform for the People Power Party and political reform, becoming the inaugural year of political reform for the people of South Korea."

Although she has not yet declared her candidacy, Na Kyung-won, Vice Chair of the Low Birthrate and Aging Committee and mentioned as a contender for party leadership, said, "Although the president is unpopular, we must carry out the labor, pension, and education reforms that he promised, and it is also important to solve the low birthrate and aging population issues. I also think it is time for party reform." She added, "I always make resolutions at the start of the new year. I thought about making a resolution to reform."

Assemblyman Kwon Seong-dong visited Boeun County, Chungbuk, to greet party members for the new year and gave a special lecture. He stated, "I will take the lead in moving forward with party comrades toward a greater sea of freedom and opportunity."

Assemblyman Yoon Sang-hyun, after individually paying respects at the National Cemetery, wrote on his Facebook, "We must create a path for 'free right-wing conservative grand unification' that is recognized by all citizens, not the outdated mindset of pro-Lee or pro-Park factions." He added, "Under the belief in additive politics, I will achieve the grand unification of free right-wing conservatives and build a greater People Power Party and Republic of Korea."

On the morning of the 1st, Cho Kyung-tae, a leading candidate for the party leadership and a member of the People Power Party, delivered a greeting at the 2023 People Power Party New Year's Meeting held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul. 2023.1.1 [Joint Coverage] [Image Source=Yonhap News]

Another party leadership contender, former Assemblyman Yoo Seung-min, wrote on Facebook the day before, "Reform cannot succeed through one-way traffic. The government and the people, companies and laborers, the elderly and the youth, the ruling and opposition parties must engage in dialogue, understanding, and persuasion together. We must keep in mind that only through this process can we reach consensus on reform and push it forward."