Hong Ik-pyo: "High Public Opinion for Yoon Government Judgment in Gangseo-gu By-election"

Opposition Floor Leader, KBS Radio Interview
"President and Ruling Party Are the Source of Our Society's Conflicts"

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 12th regarding the victory in the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul, "Rather than being complacent with this election result, I believe it is necessary to innovate ourselves further and make efforts to approach the people."

On the same day, Hong appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' and explained the background of the Democratic Party's victory, saying, "From the beginning, this election was a difficult situation for the People Power Party. They nominated a candidate who had a culpable reason, pardoned and reinstated him as a candidate just three months after a Supreme Court guilty verdict. Moreover, this gave the impression that the president was deeply involved and orchestrated the election."

He continued, "I think the public's judgment on the Yoon Seok-yeol administration over the past one year and five months has been very harsh. The high voter turnout itself is evidence of that," he added.

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the National Assembly's inspection countermeasure meeting held on the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He then conveyed that the election helped grasp public sentiment. Hong pointed out, "First, the economic livelihood is very difficult. Many people say it is even harder than during COVID-19. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has failed to present any measures regarding economic livelihood, which is the primary reason for public judgment."

He added, "Second, there is the issue of the political sphere, especially the attitude of the president, government, and ruling party. Instead of listening to criticism or the voices of the people, they have shown a very arrogant and dogmatic attitude. Lastly, there is a sense of concern that the root cause of the amplification of social conflicts is rather the president and the ruling party," he argued.

Hong said, "I once mentioned during the election campaign that 'people don't change easily,' but (the government and ruling party) need to change. This is not just an individual issue, but because the president, government, and ruling party are responsible for state administration," he explained.

He also urged, "Considering that the president's personal affairs are not private but a public position responsible for the people and the nation, we must take into account why the people produced such an election result and change the existing attitude accordingly."