People Power Party Starts Training Session Today
Democratic Party Holds Workshop in Hoengseong
Preparing for Regular National Assembly and Next Year's General Election Strategy
Ruling and Opposition Parties Face Factional Conflicts Ahead of Next Year's General Election
From the 28th, the ruling and opposition parties will each hold a two-day workshop and seminar to prepare strategies for the upcoming regular National Assembly session next month and the general election for National Assembly members next year.
The People Power Party will hold a seminar at the Incheon International Airport Corporation Talent Development Center on the same day to prepare for the regular National Assembly session opening on the 1st of next month. The seminar will begin with an opening address by Floor Leader Yoon Jae-ok, followed by remarks from Representative Kim Ki-hyun, a report by Policy Committee Chair Park Dae-chul, a party affairs report by Secretary-General Lee Cheol-gyu, and a floor report by Senior Deputy Floor Leader Lee Yang-su.
At this seminar, former Emergency Committee Chair of the Liberty Korea Party and advisor to the Federation of Korean Industries Kim Byung-joon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, and Professor Koo Jung-woo of Sungkyunkwan University will each give special lectures on the themes of ‘National Unity,’ ‘Economy,’ and ‘Communication,’ respectively.
In particular, strategies for legislation and budget review to support the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s national agenda, as well as countermeasures regarding the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, are expected to be discussed as part of the opposition strategy. Deputy Prime Minister Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, and other government ministers and vice ministers are also expected to attend in large numbers to discuss smooth cooperation between the party and government. However, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who was inundated with requests for ‘certification shots’ among lawmakers at last year’s seminar, will not attend.
On the 29th, the party plans to report the results of subgroup discussions by standing committees, hold free discussions, and adopt a resolution.
The Democratic Party will also hold a two-day workshop starting on the same day at Oak Valley in Wonju, Gangwon Province, to discuss strategies for operating the regular National Assembly session and prospects for next year’s general election.
On the first day, the 'People’s Livelihood Filling Legislation' prepared through the activities of the Livelihood Filling Group will be announced, followed by presentations on the operation plan for the regular National Assembly session by Senior Deputy Floor Leader Song Ki-heon and legislative tasks for the session by Policy Committee Chair Kim Min-seok.
Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, and Park Kwang-on, the floor leader, along with other Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers, condemned the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant at an emergency party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Kang Hoon-sik, the Democratic Party’s ranking member of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee (Budget Committee), will share the key points of next year’s budget review. Also, Han Byung-do, the party’s Strategic Planning Committee Chair, plans to give a lecture on the response strategy for the political situation in the second half of the year.
After presentations by key party officials, free discussions are also scheduled. It is expected that lawmakers will speak on sensitive issues such as whether to maintain the leadership of Representative Lee Jae-myung and how to respond to judicial risks. Additionally, the Innovation Committee’s reform proposals, including the abolition of the delegate system, and the expulsion motion against lawmaker Kim Nam-guk may also be brought up.
Since these topics are highly contentious among factions, there is a possibility of intensified internal party conflict. In fact, recently, the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction has raised the necessity of Representative Lee’s resignation and even the possibility of party division due to internal conflicts. Senior member of the anti-Lee faction Lee Sang-min mentioned on the radio program ‘Park Jae-hong’s One-on-One Battle’ on the 25th that “Representative Lee must step down to prevent a party split.”
The Democratic Party plans to adopt a ‘Regular National Assembly Resolution’ on the second day of the workshop, the 29th, based on the results of subgroup discussions by standing committees.
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