"Why the Sudden Proposal to Cut 30 National Assembly Members..."
"The Number of National Assembly Members Is Not Large Compared to Other Countries"
Former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in viewed that Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice and one of the ruling party's presidential hopefuls, has a "limited range of choices," indicating a high possibility of entering politics.
On the 22nd, Kim said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "If he does not want to engage in politics, ultimately, he has no choice but to live as a lawyer, so he has to choose between the two," expressing this view.
When asked by the host about Minister Han's political qualifications, he said, "He is still young and fresh, and his initial impression to the general public is not that bad, so depending on how he conducts himself in the future, I think he could have such hopes."
Regarding Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, he said, "If he overcomes this judicial risk himself and succeeds in next year's general election, then I see potential for him; otherwise, it will be very difficult."
On the formation of a 'third zone' new party led by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, he said, "It is an attempt to bring about the emergence of a new political force," adding, "Only if a new political force different from the existing politicians emerges will Korea have a future."
However, since former lawmaker Geum, who is leading the party formation, is not a presidential candidate, the dominant evaluation is that the chances of success are low. Former Chairman Kim said, "Vaguely, since the third zone has never succeeded in the past, will it work? I think that logic does not hold," adding, "If the public accepts what the new political force aims for, it will succeed; for example, if the emergence of a new political force does not properly recognize the specific issues the public currently desires, it will fail."
Regarding People Power Party leader Kim Ki-hyun's call for a 10% reduction in the number of lawmakers during a parliamentary negotiation group speech, he said, "I don't know why that suddenly came up," adding, "the number of lawmakers in our country is not particularly large compared to other countries."
He continued, "The public gets annoyed because the National Assembly is not doing its job properly, so voices of dissatisfaction arise saying, 'Shouldn't we reduce the number of lawmakers even more?' but we should not judge politics based on such public opinion polls."
Regarding other issues such as no work, no pay for lawmakers and the waiver of parliamentary immunity, he said, "'No work, no pay' is a commonly said phrase, and since the National Assembly is not functioning properly, the public opinion is that lawmakers should not receive their salaries, so politicians treat it as if it is something significant," adding, "It is the most childish way of thinking in politics."
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