Democratic Party "Privilege Relinquishment Bill Already Proposed... President Yoon Must Disclose Overseas Trip Budget Details"
Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, pressured the Democratic Party of Korea on the 14th to accept political reform pledges such as ‘waiving parliamentary immunity’ and ‘returning salaries during trial periods if sentenced to imprisonment or higher.’ Chairman Han also criticized the Democratic Party, saying they cannot do this to protect their leader Lee Jae-myung.
At the New Year’s meeting of the Chungnam Provincial Party held in Yesan, Chungnam, Chairman Han said, "The Democratic Party just ignores it every time I ask this," and asked, "I officially ask once again. Will you accept these two things (waiving parliamentary immunity, returning salaries if sentenced to imprisonment or higher), or not?"
He emphasized, "If you want to uphold the will of the people and practice clean politics, is there any reason to oppose these two things I mentioned?" and added, "You just need to not commit crimes. You should receive the same treatment from the judicial system as the people do."
ㅓ
Chairman Han said, "Even if the Democratic Party refuses to accept these to defend themselves, we will practice them first," and added, "I will show you not just in words but in practice that there is a clear difference between the Democratic Party and us in how we view political reform. I mentioned two things, but I will continue to talk about the third, fourth, and further political reform series."
Chairman Han also emphasized his connection with Chungcheong. He said, "I lived with the heart of a Chungcheong person when I was young," and stated, "I learned all about character, attitude, and manners from the heart of Chungcheong people."
He also wooed Chungnam voters, saying, "Chungnam has always been a swing voter that influenced the entire thoughts of the Republic of Korea," and "Our party wants to win the hearts of Chungnam people." He said, "Winning the hearts of Chungnam people is equivalent to winning the hearts of the Republic of Korea." After mentioning representative figures of Chungnam such as Seong Sam-mun, Kim Jwa-jin, and Yu Gwan-sun, he expressed his will for political reform. He said, "The People Power Party will carry out political reform that meets the expectations of Chungnam people," and "In this general election, the People Power Party intends to implement political reform immediately. We are not just trying to make politics clean, but we will step down from the privileges that our politicians have had one by one."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party defended itself regarding ‘returning salaries if sentenced to imprisonment or higher,’ stating that they had already proposed related legislation at the beginning of the 21st National Assembly. Lim Oh-kyung, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said, "The Democratic Party already promised to relinquish parliamentary privileges as a pledge in the last presidential election and proposed a bill at the beginning of the 21st National Assembly to ensure that when a lawmaker is detained, allowances, legislative activity expenses, special activity expenses, legislative and policy development expenses, etc., are not paid for that period," and added, "We agree with relinquishing privileges through presidential pledges and related legislation that meet the public’s expectations, so what exactly is Chairman Han asking for?" She further countered by demanding disclosure of President Yoon Seok-youl’s past use of special activity funds during his time as Seoul Central District Prosecutor General, allegations of unauthorized disposal, misuse, and poor disclosure of prosecution special activity funds, and details of the overseas trip budget related to the Busan Expo.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
