Jin-kyo Bae, the floor leader of the Justice Party, appealed on the 21st to "improve the electoral system with a single compromise to create a political environment where compromise and acceptance are possible." Bae also described the first anniversary of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration as a "backward run."
On the same day, Bae said in a representative speech for non-negotiating parties at the National Assembly plenary session, "We must change politics first." He criticized, "Irresponsible powers that abandon even their pledges like old shoes once elected, parties that prioritize political attacks over problem-solving, bills that linger for a long time only to be discarded upon expiration, and the repeated scenes have led the public to lose trust in the National Assembly, the most public space. Will you lie again that if only the ruling party is made the majority, things will go well?"
He introduced, "President Yoon mentioned a 'electoral system that can well represent the diverse interests of the people,' and the Democratic Party has promised the public several times political change through a multi-party coalition system. The ruling and opposition parties formed a bipartisan group for political reform, and the National Assembly held a plenary committee meeting for the first-ever electoral system reform in the constitutional history." He continued, "However, the opposition leader has not uttered a single word about electoral reform, and the ruling party leader now says that reducing the number of lawmakers is the way to reform the National Assembly. The political reform that the people want is the reduction of privilege and incompetence, not the reduction of lawmakers."
Bae said, "All power in the world becomes smaller as it is shared by the majority and becomes stronger when monopolized by a few. Isn't it natural that if the number of lawmakers is reduced, the power of the lawmakers becomes stronger?" He added, "I hope the ruling and opposition parties show a responsible attitude toward the principle of 'expanding proportionality and representation,' which was agreed upon by 143 lawmakers. The Justice Party promises that if the principle of 'expanding proportionality and representation' is upheld, it will be open to discussing any electoral system."
In his speech that day, Bae defined "the first year of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration as a total collapse full of backward runs." He claimed, "President Yoon named labor reform as the most urgent task in his first National Assembly policy speech after inauguration, but it was nothing more than union suppression disguised as reform." In addition, Bae criticized issues such as public healthcare, international order, economic collapse, worsening low birthrate, regression of democracy, and failure to respond to the climate crisis.
Regarding the economy, Bae condemned, "The economy is like a rainmaking ritual praying only for the semiconductor market to revive, the financial market is collapsing, but due to election concerns, nothing is done for the general election economy, and while claiming sound fiscal management, taxes for conglomerates and wealthy homeowners are cut, causing the livelihood of the people to suffer." He introduced, "According to the household trend survey in the first quarter of this year, the income growth rate of the top 20% is twice as fast as that of the bottom 20%. In terms of disposable income, the growth rate difference is threefold. The real income of the bottom 60% decreased compared to last year, while only the top 40% saw an increase in real income." He then pointed out, "Taxes were cut for companies, and regulations were eased, but where exactly did the trickle-down go?"
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