Delegation to the Election Commission for Electoral District Delimitation
Presentation of Five Major Reform Directions for Public Livelihood
Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated on the 21st that if victorious in the general election, he would delegate the authority to reform the National Assembly, including election systems and lawmakers' salaries, to an external body. Regarding current issues such as renegotiation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, he urged continued negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties even during the election period.
![[Full Text] Yoon Jae-ok: "Election System and Salaries Should Be Transferred to an Independent External Organization"](https://cphoto.asiae.co.kr/listimglink/1/2024022110582370568_1708480703.jpg)
In his speech to the negotiation groups that day, Floor Leader Yoon said, "We will form a fair and transparent external independent committee and delegate election system reforms, including the abolition of the semi-proportional representation system." Regarding the unresolved issue of electoral district delimitation, which remains incomplete due to disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties after the district delineation, he said, "We will transfer the authority to the National Election Commission." On lawmakers' salaries, he stated, "We will establish a separate organization to entrust the decision to the people," adding, "By forming an independent body composed of external figures to decide on the increase or decrease and payment methods of lawmakers' salaries, we can restore trust in the National Assembly." Previously, Han Dong-hoon, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, proposed, as a personal opinion, reducing lawmakers' salaries to one-third and adjusting them to the national median income level (the median household income of 53.62 million won).
Additionally, Floor Leader Yoon proposed five major livelihood reforms reflecting the People Power Party's general election pledges.
Below is the full text of the negotiation group representative speech.
Choice of the Republic of Korea for Coexistence and Mutual Growth
- People Power Party Floor Leader Yoon Jae-ok’s Negotiation Group Representative Speech -
Respected citizens,
Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and fellow lawmakers,
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and cabinet members,
I am Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party.
■ The 21st National Assembly’s Failure as a ‘Working Parliament’
When the 21st National Assembly was inaugurated four years ago,
the public’s demand was singular:
To become a parliament that works for the people’s livelihood.
There were some visible changes.
The National Assembly Act was amended to establish a standing session clause,
and a record-breaking number of over 25,000 bills were proposed.
However, looking deeper, it is truly shameful.
The standing session clause degenerated into a clause for constant political strife.
The bill passage rate declined compared to previous assemblies.
They frequently stopped the parliament by finger-pointing at each other,
and parliamentary dysfunction became routine.
It was the most severe communication breakdown in the National Assembly since democratization.
Many lawmakers chose not to run for re-election,
saying, "What we do is not politics, nor democracy."
Why did such a dismal outcome occur?
Ultimately, because the National Assembly is detached from the people’s livelihood.
Challenges such as low growth, population decline, regional extinction, social disparity, and climate crisis
have accumulated, difficult to resolve even with the Assembly’s full attention over four years.
Yet, these issues rarely made it to the core discussion table.
They were engrossed in impeachment and special investigations aimed at opponents,
wasting time in mudslinging fights.
The Assembly has even been painfully criticized as a factory of conspiracy theories.
While the 21st National Assembly was mired in irresponsible political strife,
the international community began sounding alarms about ‘Peak Korea.’
There are gloomy and fearful forecasts that Korea, like Japan in the past,
will enter a stagnation akin to the ‘Lost 30 Years’ after peaking.
In fact, we have overcome the middle-income trap,
but now face another crisis called the advanced country trap.
The nation’s wealth has increased,
but social unfairness, contradictions, and relative disparities keep the people’s happiness low.
Among OECD countries, Korea has the highest suicide rate and lowest birthrate,
grim indicators of the hardships faced by its people.
While countries worldwide raise protectionist barriers and wage technological hegemony wars,
we are gradually losing competitiveness in both traditional and advanced industries.
Studies show that the generation born after 2000 will have to pay 40% of their lifetime income in taxes
to sustain the current fiscal expenditure structure.
The nation’s hope is rapidly fading.
Ultimately, the problem is politics.
Only politics can reform outdated systems that suppress the freedom of people and businesses,
channel national wealth into new industries,
and unite national power to solve the low birthrate crisis.
Politics must also resolve social divisions and create environments where individuals can live the lives they desire through their labor.
If politics is backward, no matter how prosperous the country is,
that prosperity cannot last long.
People’s lives will inevitably drift away from happiness.
Just as we thirsted for democratization with burning desire,
we must pursue national reform with even more urgent hearts.
After the IMF economic crisis, Korea restructured its national system,
but has reached the present without proper reforms.
It is time to upgrade the nation’s systems, practices, and culture to fit the times,
and lay a new foundation for the people’s lives.
■ Reforms in the 21 Months of the Yoon Seok-yeol Government
Respected citizens,
The Yoon Seok-yeol government has worked earnestly to restore livelihoods,
focusing on national reform and economic revitalization.
First, it is promoting a structural transformation of our industries toward a dynamic economy.
Since the government’s inauguration, over 1,600 regulations have been improved,
generating an economic effect of 101 trillion won.
The semiconductor alliance with the Netherlands was an industrial strategy achievement
that exceeded expectations and drew international attention.
The nuclear power industry, which was on the brink of collapse,
has rapidly restored domestic industrial ecosystems and overseas export competitiveness.
The successful launch of the Nuri rocket and passage of the Space Aviation Agency Special Act
have laid the groundwork for Korea’s leap to a space powerhouse.
The real estate issue, which caused great public suffering under the previous government,
has seen excessive regulations lifted all at once.
Speculative overheated zones and adjustment target areas were largely deregulated,
and the comprehensive real estate tax burden was significantly reduced.
The three major obstacles to reconstruction regulations?safety inspections, price ceiling rationalization, and reconstruction burden relief?were removed,
and the enactment of a special law has initiated the renovation of first-generation new towns and other aging planned cities.
The government has not neglected welfare improvements.
Health insurance has been adjusted to prevent free riders and increase fairness in burden,
and the national care system for severely disabled persons has been strengthened.
Livelihood benefits for vulnerable groups were raised by the largest margin ever,
and tailored support for each generation, such as youth independence allowances and expanded senior jobs, has been increased.
Labor law and order reforms have made remarkable progress.
They enforced accounting disclosure against union’s opaque accounting practices,
corrected employment inheritance and coercive hiring by privileged unions,
and eradicated illegal construction site practices.
Diplomatic achievements are very clear.
The Korea-US alliance, which had faltered, has been reaffirmed,
and the Korea-US extended deterrence system has been accelerated,
providing a practical deterrent against North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Diplomatic relations were established with Cuba, known as North Korea’s brother country,
achieving a major milestone in diplomacy with the socialist bloc and sending a message of openness and change to North Korea.
Through summit diplomacy, $6.6 billion in investments were attracted,
and especially in defense exports, a record $32.3 billion was achieved.
Nevertheless, the chill in the livelihood economy remains,
and national reform still has a long way to go.
The People Power Party feels a heavy responsibility.
Only by implementing more bold and full-scale reforms can we escape the low-growth phase
and create changes that the people can feel.
The achievements mentioned earlier prove that the Yoon Seok-yeol government,
with full legislative support, has the capability to succeed in sweeping reforms.
Citizens, please change the National Assembly.
Let the government work.
The government and ruling party will promote five major livelihood reforms in the 22nd National Assembly,
based on the trust and support of the people.
■ Five Major Livelihood Reforms: 1. Labor Reform to Evolve Korea
The livelihood reforms I will now discuss
are five gateways we must pass to escape the advanced country trap.
The first gateway is labor reform.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 88% of employment in Korea,
but the wage gap between SME workers and large company workers is more than double.
This is an environmental factor causing individual workers’ unhappiness,
and a stumbling block to national policies such as employment improvement and industrial innovation.
Also, Korea’s labor productivity is among the lowest in the OECD despite long working hours,
and frequent political strikes undermine national competitiveness.
For 30 years, international reports on Korea have consistently pointed out
the inefficient and unfair labor market.
While all sectors of society innovate to meet changing times,
the labor sector alone resists change,
falling into a Gal?pagos syndrome.
If the labor sector does not evolve, neither can Korea.
The labor market must be made more flexible
so companies can quickly respond to changing industrial demands.
The political sphere must build a stronger and denser social safety net
to support the labor market.
This is the right direction for Korea’s labor reform.
The wage system should shift from seniority-based to job performance-based,
raising both job satisfaction and labor productivity.
Working hours and types should allow diverse options such as flexible, remote, and hybrid work,
depending on industry and company characteristics.
Government support for SMEs must not be absorbed by large companies,
and unfair trade between large and small companies must be more strongly corrected.
Most of these tasks require overcoming disagreements with large unions.
The government and ruling party have established labor law and order,
and through communication, led the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions back to the Economic, Social and Labor Council.
Earlier this month, the tripartite council adopted a declaration to enhance fairness and vitality in the labor market,
and made progress in agreeing on flexibility and security agendas.
The People Power Party promises to solve the 30-year-old labor reform task
through close cooperation with the tripartite council in the 22nd National Assembly.
■ 2. Measures to Prevent National Extinction Due to Low Birthrate
Last month, our party and the Democratic Party announced low birthrate measures,
starting a policy competition.
The two parties’ approaches show a clear difference between institutional reform and fiscal expansion.
Our party views existing low birthrate measures, which poured astronomical budgets but achieved little effect, as targets for reform.
It is especially necessary to revisit the population crisis from the perspective of social disparity.
Disparities between the capital area and provinces in jobs, medical care, education, transportation, and cultural facilities
are so severe that many people decide to leave their hometowns.
However, even moving from provinces to the capital area for a better life,
high housing prices make it difficult to establish stable homes.
Added to this are wage and childcare environment gaps between SMEs and large companies,
educational opportunity gaps based on parental wealth,
and employment and asset formation opportunity gaps for the youth generation.
Ultimately, whether in the capital area or provinces,
people feel trapped and do not want to pass on a hard life to their children.
Such a complex disparity-driven low birthrate phenomenon
cannot be solved by simply pouring money.
Through the aforementioned labor reform, and the regulatory and financial reforms I will soon discuss,
people’s income and assets must increase,
and through land reform, a livable environment must be created nationwide,
which will reverse the birthrate curve.
Government birth support policies must also become more efficient and tailored.
Our party plans to establish a vice-premier-level Population Department
to oversee low birthrate policies across ministries,
overcoming the limitations of siloed administration that cost much but yielded little effect.
Urgent detailed policies include properly establishing work-family balance,
which has so far been only verbally emphasized.
Our party announced as the first general election pledge:
mandatory one-month paid paternity leave,
raising the ceiling on parental leave pay,
introducing paid child care leave,
and providing manpower support for SMEs’ parental leave.
The government has also decided to expand the ‘Neulbom School,’
which cares for elementary students until 8 p.m., nationwide by 2026.
An African proverb says it takes a whole village to raise a child,
but now the whole nation must step up.
We will firmly establish a national care system
so that people do not hesitate to have children due to worries about dual-income work and sole parenting.
■ 3. Regulatory Reform to Revive Korea’s Economic Growth DNA
To raise the noticeably declining economic growth rate,
let us consider which gateway we must pass.
Two paths lie ahead.
One is the easy path of returning to fiscal-led growth policies,
injecting money into the market to stimulate the economy.
The other is the difficult path of reforming outdated systems,
creating an environment where the private economy can grow independently.
The former was fully implemented by the previous government and its limits are clear.
Now, we must focus on enhancing corporate activity and entrepreneurship,
fundamentally improving the economy’s structure.
With this in mind, the Yoon Seok-yeol government has pursued regulatory reform since its early days.
However, the key to regulations lies with the legislature.
Of 223 regulatory reform bills submitted to the National Assembly,
only 119 have passed, and 104 remain under review.
Bills amending the Chemical Substances Control Act and the Act on Evaluation and Registration of Chemical Substances,
long demanded by companies, were delayed for four years and barely passed last month.
Other killer regulations, such as the Industrial Location and Development Act and the Employment of Foreign Workers Act,
are still stuck in standing committees.
Regulatory improvements in daily life, such as terminal subsidy regulations, fixed book price system, and large mart operating regulations,
are also progressing very slowly.
If the National Assembly continues to resolve regulations at a snail’s pace,
competing countries will seize all future industries.
The People Power Party will implement more bold regulatory reforms than any previous assembly in the 22nd National Assembly.
Regulatory bills with significant economic and livelihood impact
will, in principle, have sunset clauses,
and their extension will be decided through periodic reviews.
Currently, the government’s regulatory sandbox system reviews only individual regulations applied for by companies after the fact,
which is too slow.
We will introduce a ‘Regulation Zero Box’ system,
which preemptively exempts regulatory laws in new industries,
leaving only the minimum necessary regulations for public safety.
Land regulations such as development restriction zones, military protection zones, and farmland regulations
will be thoroughly reviewed from the perspective of economic development.
Various regulatory fees that burden livelihoods will have their application and enforcement deferred.
In the era of technological hegemony wars,
the speed of legislation determines national competitiveness.
Experts predict that if a highly regulated country like Korea succeeds in regulatory reform,
economic growth could increase by about 2%.
We will vigorously promote regulatory reform to revive Korea’s economic growth DNA.
■ 4. Land Reform for Balanced Development of Capital and Provinces
If national policy is the government’s drawing,
land is the canvas on which the drawing is made.
No matter how well the government draws,
if the canvas is severely tilted, the picture will be distorted.
To overcome the imbalance that has long offset economic revitalization and low birthrate measures,
we must pass the gateway of land reform.
It is time to pursue administrative district reorganization for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
The administrative boundary between Seoul and Gyeonggi was set in 1963 during Seoul’s major expansion.
Since then, population growth and urban expansion have changed living areas,
causing many inconveniences in daily life.
Adjusting administrative jurisdiction to match new living areas
is necessary to relieve residents’ inconveniences and improve quality of life.
Accordingly, the People Power Party will reflect residents’ aspirations
and promote the incorporation of Seoul-adjacent cities such as Gimpo and Guri into Seoul.
Northern Gyeonggi should separate to escape capital area regulations
and grow independently.
We must also ease commuting pains for capital area residents.
The government and ruling party will accelerate the GTX project,
opening a 30-minute commuting era in the capital area.
Measures to alleviate congestion on the notorious Gimpo Gold Line will be prioritized.
Relocating the Korea Development Bank is more than a long-standing wish of Busan;
it symbolizes balanced national development.
The Northeast Asia financial hub is a policy embodying former President Roh Moo-hyun’s dream,
which our party respects and supports.
We urge the opposition to decide on the relocation in the 21st National Assembly.
Our party will exempt inheritance tax on business succession for SMEs relocating to regional opportunity development zones.
While attracting large companies is good,
having many sound SMEs helps local youth find jobs easily and revitalizes local commerce.
Though inheritance tax exemption is a bold measure,
our party believes such decisions are necessary to counter regional extinction.
The Local University Promotion Act amendment,
which mandates public institutions to hire at least 35% local talents, passed last month,
but it is still insufficient.
We will continue to push for higher local talent hiring rates.
Transportation infrastructure must also be greatly expanded
to reduce travel time for residents to major hubs,
and increase physical and human exchanges with other regions and abroad.
The government and ruling party have decided to build metropolitan express rail networks in provinces,
similar to the capital area’s GTX,
creating a one-hour living zone.
Laws related to balanced national development passed by the 21st National Assembly,
such as the Gadeokdo New Airport and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport,
will be thoroughly managed to become growth engines for provinces.
■ 5. Financial Reform to Increase Citizens’ Asset Formation Opportunities
Modernizing the financial sector, still lagging internationally,
is another reform gateway we must pass.
Due to the ‘Korea Discount’ in the stock market,
ordinary citizens miss opportunities to increase assets,
and companies are undervalued, losing chances to expand investment.
The price-to-book ratio (PBR) of the domestic stock market is 1.05,
abnormally low compared to the advanced countries’ average of 3.1.
We must normalize stock prices to restore fair asset formation opportunities for citizens.
In this regard, although the two parties agreed,
introducing the financial investment income tax in the 21st National Assembly was a big mistake.
The financial investment income tax, opposed fiercely by 14 million individual investors,
should be abolished before implementation.
Instead, we must develop the stock market to match the economy’s scale,
and enable individual investors to enjoy increasing corporate value.
The government and ruling party will proceed with the planned reduction of securities transaction tax,
even if the financial investment income tax is abolished.
Additionally, we will implement shareholder return policies including corporate value-up programs,
and greatly expand the ISA (Individual Savings Account) contribution and tax exemption limits.
We will tighten crackdowns on illegal short selling,
preventing the Korean stock market from becoming a playground for foreign forces.
The People Power Party will also reform related financial systems
to better protect citizens’ assets.
Despite implementing the Financial Consumer Protection Act since 2021 to prevent mis-selling,
the Hong Kong ELS incident occurred.
Financial authorities should promptly complete strict investigations
and ensure fair compensation for affected citizens.
Separately, our party will consider amending laws to substantiate sales explanation duties
and strengthen responsibilities for mis-selling by financial product sellers.
The deposit insurance limit will be raised from 50 million won to 100 million won,
matching the grown economic scale.
To enable asset formation through savings,
we will relax eligibility and expand term options,
reintroducing tax-favored savings for workers.
For small business owners using loans with interest rates above 7%,
we will support refinancing loans with 4.5% interest products.
The People Power Party will improve the entire system
so financial products become ladders of opportunity for the middle and lower classes,
not playgrounds for the wealthy.
■ Five Political Reforms to Create a Competent and Ethical National Assembly
Citizens,
fellow lawmakers of both parties,
According to the Korea Institute of Public Administration,
the National Assembly’s institutional trust rate was 24.1% in 2022,
ranking lowest among all state institutions, private organizations, and media for ten consecutive years since 2013.
The public views the National Assembly as the most serious ‘reform target.’
To reform society, the National Assembly must first reform itself.
The People Power Party will promote five political reforms in the 22nd National Assembly
to fundamentally change parliamentary politics.
First, we will abolish the semi-proportional representation system
and reform the election system through an external independent body.
In the 20th National Assembly, the Democratic Party introduced the semi-proportional representation system
in collusion with small opposition parties to pass the Corruption Investigation Office Act.
The election system was introduced without the knowledge of the public, media, or even politicians themselves,
only driven by calculations.
What was the result?
The birth of satellite parties was the worst regression in our democracy’s history.
With satellite and fly-by-night parties proliferating,
public opinion was distorted.
The misfortune of the 21st National Assembly arguably began then.
Despite repeated discussions in the Special Committee on Political Reform,
the semi-proportional representation system remained due to the opposition’s strategic calculations.
As a result, a far worse political drama than the last general election is unfolding.
There are concerns that the ballot paper length may exceed last election’s 48 cm,
possibly reaching up to 1 meter.
Within that 1-meter ballot paper,
ineligible politicians who are detained or sentenced,
anti-national forces who deny Korea and join pro-North Korean groups,
may be included in succession.
Politicians who incited the public with fake news and hate speech
are also trying to enter the National Assembly through satellite parties.
The opposition claims the semi-proportional system is more democratic and innovative than the parallel system,
but in reality, it only incubates political pollution.
Advanced parliamentary democracies like the UK, New Zealand, and Norway
entrust election system reforms to independent commissions.
If our party wins the general election,
we will immediately form a fair and transparent external independent committee
and delegate election system reforms, including abolishing the semi-proportional representation system.
Second, we will also transfer electoral district delimitation authority to the National Election Commission.
With only 49 days left until the parliamentary election,
electoral districts are still undecided.
The National Election Commission’s Electoral District Delimitation Committee’s recommendation,
fairly determined by members recommended by both parties and various social sectors based on population changes,
has been ignored by the opposition, who delay decisions based on seat advantages.
As a result, voters and candidates do not know their electoral districts,
creating an absurd situation.
If the People Power Party becomes the majority in the 22nd general election,
we will fully transfer district delimitation authority to the National Election Commission,
preventing recurring electoral district confusion.
Third, lawmakers’ salaries will also be entrusted to a separate independent body for public decision.
No work, yet paid; self-increasing salaries are symbols of an inactive parliament.
The UK House of Commons entrusts salary decisions to an ‘Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’ composed of external experts.
We must form an independent body of external figures
to decide on lawmakers’ salary increases, decreases, and payment methods,
restoring trust in the National Assembly.
Fourth, we will normalize the misused National Assembly Advancement Act.
The Act’s Agenda Coordination Committee was designed to prevent extreme confrontations and establish a negotiation culture,
reflecting public demands.
However, even well-intentioned systems can become poison if abused,
as confirmed throughout the 21st National Assembly.
Satellite parties were used,
and even disguised party resignations were employed,
to carry out legal vote-rigging.
Even if we become the majority,
our party will not repeat this,
and will amend laws to change the committee’s composition or add provisos,
preserving the system’s original intent.
Fifth, we will improve legislative quality.
Although the number of bills proposed by lawmakers has greatly increased,
the passage rate in plenary sessions has declined.
As the number of bills proposed became a physical criterion for legislative activity evaluation,
quality management was neglected.
The People Power Party will introduce a ‘Legislative Impact Analysis System,’
requiring lawmakers to submit reports on the social impact of bills when proposing them.
Moreover, for regulatory bills,
we will introduce regulatory reform experts in each standing committee to strengthen prior review.
We will also conduct post-impact assessments on passed regulatory bills,
establishing triple regulatory safety measures.
We will faithfully keep our general election pledges.
Renouncing immunity from arrest,
returning salaries during trials for confirmed imprisonment or heavier sentences,
reducing the number of lawmakers,
not nominating candidates in by-elections caused by party faults,
and banning political fund acceptance through book launches
are essential for political development.
We will implement these promises in the 22nd National Assembly,
and gather public consensus to push for necessary legal amendments.
■ Joint Parliamentary Response to North Korea’s Provocations
Respected citizens,
fellow lawmakers,
With this year’s general election and the US presidential election,
North Korea is expected to escalate provocations.
North Korea denies kinship with us and emphasizes being a belligerent state,
continuing provocations such as missile launches and shelling in the West Sea.
They even call the NLL a ‘ghost ship,’ heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
It is time for our political community to unite to protect the nation and people.
North Korea’s purpose in escalating provocations before the election is clear.
They aim to create a climate of fear and intimidate our people,
interfering in the April general election.
We must not be swayed.
Especially, repeating baseless ‘North Wind conspiracy theories’ that the government induces provocations for political purposes
seriously harms national security.
North Korea’s night sky, armed with nuclear weapons, is shrouded in darkness,
while Korea’s night sky, peacefully using nuclear power, is filled with the light of economic prosperity.
If disguised peace comes at the cost of submission,
all our people will strongly reject it.
True peace on the Korean Peninsula starts with strong security based on the Korea-US alliance.
When we have firm deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,
and pressure North Korea with the international community,
the regime will have no choice but to move toward change and openness.
There must be no more partisan strife over security.
To this end, the People Power Party proposes forming a bipartisan-government security consultative body
to jointly respond to major military threats.
■ Grand Agreement on Urgent Livelihood Issues
Fellow lawmakers,
During the election campaign, people’s lives continue unchanged.
Political interests must not override the public’s interests.
I propose a grand agreement on the following issues
to faithfully care for livelihoods during the remaining term of the 21st National Assembly.
First, I earnestly request the Democratic Party to renegotiate the postponement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.
Small business owners and self-employed people, busy with their livelihoods,
have no time to properly examine the Act’s contents.
Many say they would rather close their businesses than risk imprisonment.
A few days ago, about 5,000 small business owners gathered in Gwangju,
pleading for postponement of the Act.
Our National Assembly must no longer ignore their appeals.
If the Democratic Party refuses to renegotiate,
the People Power Party will amend the Act unilaterally after winning the general election.
Second, let us strive again for bipartisan agreement on the Itaewon tragedy special law.
Since the Itaewon tragedy is a pain shared by all citizens,
its aftermath must not divide society.
We need a genuine special law that consoles and supports the bereaved families sincerely,
and prevents such disasters from recurring,
not a law that politicizes the disaster.
To this end, the composition of the special investigation committee
must be readjusted to be fair and neutral.
We propose discussing amendments to the special law,
focusing on continuing national memorial projects for the bereaved families
and providing sufficient compensation.
Third, let us pass the amendment to the Export-Import Bank Act in this National Assembly.
Currently, about 30 trillion won worth of defense exports to Poland depend on this.
If the amendment is not passed in the 21st National Assembly,
export volume will decrease,
resulting in losses for the people.
Fourth, let us enact the Special Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste Management.
Regardless of the nuclear phase-out or pro-nuclear debate,
used nuclear fuel already generated must be safely disposed of.
The current generation enjoying nuclear power benefits
must not pass radioactive waste management responsibilities to future generations.
Facing the AI era’s surging electricity demand,
both parties should learn from Germany and France’s contrasting experiences.
Above all, the National Assembly must now resolve the appeals of residents living with decades of anxiety
in nuclear power plant areas temporarily storing used nuclear fuel.
■ Choice of the Republic of Korea for Coexistence and Mutual Growth
Last month, a Democratic Party leader and a People Power Party lawmaker
were unexpectedly assaulted.
These incidents show how political language becomes a weapon against opposing parties,
and how someone among the people takes that weapon to commit physical violence,
creating a vicious cycle of hatred.
Foreign media reporting these assaults described
“Korean politics as deeply polarized and divided,”
highlighting the severe regression of our political culture.
Unless the National Assembly ends the politics of hatred,
such unfortunate incidents are likely to continue.
Before the vicious cycle of hatred completely destroys normal politics,
the political community must swiftly self-purify.
In the 22nd National Assembly, ruling and opposition parties should come together
to find and implement ways to innovate political culture.
Let us revive the virtues of dialogue and compromise,
and drive out verbal violence demonizing opponents from the Assembly.
Let us view opposing parties not as targets for punishment and liquidation,
but as subjects for dialogue and persuasion.
I appeal to fellow lawmakers and all politicians
to restore parliamentary politics through political culture innovation in the 22nd National Assembly.
Citizens who love the Republic of Korea!
You say we live in an era of every man for himself.
In a country where people’s hearts are torn apart,
no reform is possible.
If we do not find the path of coexistence and mutual growth now,
social conflicts will spread,
leading to a tragic collapse of the nation.
Politics that survive together and live together is urgently needed.
The People Power Party will lead society
where all citizens live together harmoniously,
not divided by camps or individuals.
In a country where growth has stopped,
people’s lives inevitably suffer.
We will restart the clock of economic growth,
and ensure its fruits return to the majority of the people.
Livelihood or political strife, that is the question.
The party with a sincere will to restore livelihoods,
and that can cooperate with the government to care for the people’s lives,
must lead the 22nd National Assembly.
Please vote for the better lives of the people.
Please vote for a more growing and developing Republic of Korea.
We will make politics a force for the people.
Thank you for listening.
Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and fellow lawmakers,
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and cabinet members,
I am Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party.
■ The 21st National Assembly’s Failure as a ‘Working Parliament’
When the 21st National Assembly was inaugurated four years ago,
the public’s demand was singular:
To become a parliament that works for the people’s livelihood.
There were some visible changes.
The National Assembly Act was amended to establish a standing session clause,
and a record-breaking number of over 25,000 bills were proposed.
However, looking deeper, it is truly shameful.
The standing session clause degenerated into a clause for constant political strife.
The bill passage rate declined compared to previous assemblies.
They frequently stopped the parliament by finger-pointing at each other,
and parliamentary dysfunction became routine.
It was the most severe communication breakdown in the National Assembly since democratization.
Many lawmakers chose not to run for re-election,
saying, "What we do is not politics, nor democracy."
Why did such a dismal outcome occur?
Ultimately, because the National Assembly is detached from the people’s livelihood.
Challenges such as low growth, population decline, regional extinction, social disparity, and climate crisis
have accumulated, difficult to resolve even with the Assembly’s full attention over four years.
Yet, these issues rarely made it to the core discussion table.
They were engrossed in impeachment and special investigations aimed at opponents,
wasting time in mudslinging fights.
The Assembly has even been painfully criticized as a factory of conspiracy theories.
While the 21st National Assembly was mired in irresponsible political strife,
the international community began sounding alarms about ‘Peak Korea.’
There are gloomy and fearful forecasts that Korea, like Japan in the past,
will enter a stagnation akin to the ‘Lost 30 Years’ after peaking.
In fact, we have overcome the middle-income trap,
but now face another crisis called the advanced country trap.
The nation’s wealth has increased,
but social unfairness, contradictions, and relative disparities keep the people’s happiness low.
Among OECD countries, Korea has the highest suicide rate and lowest birthrate,
grim indicators of the hardships faced by its people.
While countries worldwide raise protectionist barriers and wage technological hegemony wars,
we are gradually losing competitiveness in both traditional and advanced industries.
Studies show that the generation born after 2000 will have to pay 40% of their lifetime income in taxes
to sustain the current fiscal expenditure structure.
The nation’s hope is rapidly fading.
Ultimately, the problem is politics.
Only politics can reform outdated systems that suppress the freedom of people and businesses,
channel national wealth into new industries,
and unite national power to solve the low birthrate crisis.
Politics must also resolve social divisions and create environments where individuals can live the lives they desire through their labor.
If politics is backward, no matter how prosperous the country is,
that prosperity cannot last long.
People’s lives will inevitably drift away from happiness.
Just as we thirsted for democratization with burning desire,
we must pursue national reform with even more urgent hearts.
After the IMF economic crisis, Korea restructured its national system,
but has reached the present without proper reforms.
It is time to upgrade the nation’s systems, practices, and culture to fit the times,
and lay a new foundation for the people’s lives.
■ Reforms in the 21 Months of the Yoon Seok-yeol Government
Respected citizens,
The Yoon Seok-yeol government has worked earnestly to restore livelihoods,
focusing on national reform and economic revitalization.
First, it is promoting a structural transformation of our industries toward a dynamic economy.
Since the government’s inauguration, over 1,600 regulations have been improved,
generating an economic effect of 101 trillion won.
The semiconductor alliance with the Netherlands was an industrial strategy achievement
that exceeded expectations and drew international attention.
The nuclear power industry, which was on the brink of collapse,
has rapidly restored domestic industrial ecosystems and overseas export competitiveness.
The successful launch of the Nuri rocket and passage of the Space Aviation Agency Special Act
have laid the groundwork for Korea’s leap to a space powerhouse.
The real estate issue, which caused great public suffering under the previous government,
has seen excessive regulations lifted all at once.
Speculative overheated zones and adjustment target areas were largely deregulated,
and the comprehensive real estate tax burden was significantly reduced.
The three major obstacles to reconstruction regulations?safety inspections, price ceiling rationalization, and reconstruction burden relief?were removed,
and the enactment of a special law has initiated the renovation of first-generation new towns and other aging planned cities.
The government has not neglected welfare improvements.
Health insurance has been adjusted to prevent free riders and increase fairness in burden,
and the national care system for severely disabled persons has been strengthened.
Livelihood benefits for vulnerable groups were raised by the largest margin ever,
and tailored support for each generation, such as youth independence allowances and expanded senior jobs, has been increased.
Labor law and order reforms have made remarkable progress.
They enforced accounting disclosure against union’s opaque accounting practices,
corrected employment inheritance and coercive hiring by privileged unions,
and eradicated illegal construction site practices.
Diplomatic achievements are very clear.
The Korea-US alliance, which had faltered, has been reaffirmed,
and the Korea-US extended deterrence system has been accelerated,
providing a practical deterrent against North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Diplomatic relations were established with Cuba, known as North Korea’s brother country,
achieving a major milestone in diplomacy with the socialist bloc and sending a message of openness and change to North Korea.
Through summit diplomacy, $6.6 billion in investments were attracted,
and especially in defense exports, a record $32.3 billion was achieved.
Nevertheless, the chill in the livelihood economy remains,
and national reform still has a long way to go.
The People Power Party feels a heavy responsibility.
Only by implementing more bold and full-scale reforms can we escape the low-growth phase
and create changes that the people can feel.
The achievements mentioned earlier prove that the Yoon Seok-yeol government,
with full legislative support, has the capability to succeed in sweeping reforms.
Citizens, please change the National Assembly.
Let the government work.
The government and ruling party will promote five major livelihood reforms in the 22nd National Assembly,
based on the trust and support of the people.
■ Five Major Livelihood Reforms: 1. Labor Reform to Evolve Korea
The livelihood reforms I will now discuss
are five gateways we must pass to escape the advanced country trap.
The first gateway is labor reform.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 88% of employment in Korea,
but the wage gap between SME workers and large company workers is more than double.
This is an environmental factor causing individual workers’ unhappiness,
and a stumbling block to national policies such as employment improvement and industrial innovation.
Also, Korea’s labor productivity is among the lowest in the OECD despite long working hours,
and frequent political strikes undermine national competitiveness.
For 30 years, international reports on Korea have consistently pointed out
the inefficient and unfair labor market.
While all sectors of society innovate to meet changing times,
the labor sector alone resists change,
falling into a Gal?pagos syndrome.
If the labor sector does not evolve, neither can Korea.
The labor market must be made more flexible
so companies can quickly respond to changing industrial demands.
The political sphere must build a stronger and denser social safety net
to support the labor market.
This is the right direction for Korea’s labor reform.
The wage system should shift from seniority-based to job performance-based,
raising both job satisfaction and labor productivity.
Working hours and types should allow diverse options such as flexible, remote, and hybrid work,
depending on industry and company characteristics.
Government support for SMEs must not be absorbed by large companies,
and unfair trade between large and small companies must be more strongly corrected.
Most of these tasks require overcoming disagreements with large unions.
The government and ruling party have established labor law and order,
and through communication, led the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions back to the Economic, Social and Labor Council.
Earlier this month, the tripartite council adopted a declaration to enhance fairness and vitality in the labor market,
and made progress in agreeing on flexibility and security agendas.
The People Power Party promises to solve the 30-year-old labor reform task
through close cooperation with the tripartite council in the 22nd National Assembly.
■ 2. Measures to Prevent National Extinction Due to Low Birthrate
Last month, our party and the Democratic Party announced low birthrate measures,
starting a policy competition.
The two parties’ approaches show a clear difference between institutional reform and fiscal expansion.
Our party views existing low birthrate measures, which poured astronomical budgets but achieved little effect, as targets for reform.
It is especially necessary to revisit the population crisis from the perspective of social disparity.
Disparities between the capital area and provinces in jobs, medical care, education, transportation, and cultural facilities
are so severe that many people decide to leave their hometowns.
However, even moving from provinces to the capital area for a better life,
high housing prices make it difficult to establish stable homes.
Added to this are wage and childcare environment gaps between SMEs and large companies,
educational opportunity gaps based on parental wealth,
and employment and asset formation opportunity gaps for the youth generation.
Ultimately, whether in the capital area or provinces,
people feel trapped and do not want to pass on a hard life to their children.
Such a complex disparity-driven low birthrate phenomenon
cannot be solved by simply pouring money.
Through the aforementioned labor reform, and the regulatory and financial reforms I will soon discuss,
people’s income and assets must increase,
and through land reform, a livable environment must be created nationwide,
which will reverse the birthrate curve.
Government birth support policies must also become more efficient and tailored.
Our party plans to establish a vice-premier-level Population Department
to oversee low birthrate policies across ministries,
overcoming the limitations of siloed administration that cost much but yielded little effect.
Urgent detailed policies include properly establishing work-family balance,
which has so far been only verbally emphasized.
Our party announced as the first general election pledge:
mandatory one-month paid paternity leave,
raising the ceiling on parental leave pay,
introducing paid child care leave,
and providing manpower support for SMEs’ parental leave.
The government has also decided to expand the ‘Neulbom School,’
which cares for elementary students until 8 p.m., nationwide by 2026.
An African proverb says it takes a whole village to raise a child,
but now the whole nation must step up.
We will firmly establish a national care system
so that people do not hesitate to have children due to worries about dual-income work and sole parenting.
■ 3. Regulatory Reform to Revive Korea’s Economic Growth DNA
To raise the noticeably declining economic growth rate,
let us consider which gateway we must pass.
Two paths lie ahead.
One is the easy path of returning to fiscal-led growth policies,
injecting money into the market to stimulate the economy.
The other is the difficult path of reforming outdated systems,
creating an environment where the private economy can grow independently.
The former was fully implemented by the previous government and its limits are clear.
Now, we must focus on enhancing corporate activity and entrepreneurship,
fundamentally improving the economy’s structure.
With this in mind, the Yoon Seok-yeol government has pursued regulatory reform since its early days.
However, the key to regulations lies with the legislature.
Of 223 regulatory reform bills submitted to the National Assembly,
only 119 have passed, and 104 remain under review.
Bills amending the Chemical Substances Control Act and the Act on Evaluation and Registration of Chemical Substances,
long demanded by companies, were delayed for four years and barely passed last month.
Other killer regulations, such as the Industrial Location and Development Act and the Employment of Foreign Workers Act,
are still stuck in standing committees.
Regulatory improvements in daily life, such as terminal subsidy regulations, fixed book price system, and large mart operating regulations,
are also progressing very slowly.
If the National Assembly continues to resolve regulations at a snail’s pace,
competing countries will seize all future industries.
The People Power Party will implement more bold regulatory reforms than any previous assembly in the 22nd National Assembly.
Regulatory bills with significant economic and livelihood impact
will, in principle, have sunset clauses,
and their extension will be decided through periodic reviews.
Currently, the government’s regulatory sandbox system reviews only individual regulations applied for by companies after the fact,
which is too slow.
We will introduce a ‘Regulation Zero Box’ system,
which preemptively exempts regulatory laws in new industries,
leaving only the minimum necessary regulations for public safety.
Land regulations such as development restriction zones, military protection zones, and farmland regulations
will be thoroughly reviewed from the perspective of economic development.
Various regulatory fees that burden livelihoods will have their application and enforcement deferred.
In the era of technological hegemony wars,
the speed of legislation determines national competitiveness.
Experts predict that if a highly regulated country like Korea succeeds in regulatory reform,
economic growth could increase by about 2%.
We will vigorously promote regulatory reform to revive Korea’s economic growth DNA.
■ 4. Land Reform for Balanced Development of Capital and Provinces
If national policy is the government’s drawing,
land is the canvas on which the drawing is made.
No matter how well the government draws,
if the canvas is severely tilted, the picture will be distorted.
To overcome the imbalance that has long offset economic revitalization and low birthrate measures,
we must pass the gateway of land reform.
It is time to pursue administrative district reorganization for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
The administrative boundary between Seoul and Gyeonggi was set in 1963 during Seoul’s major expansion.
Since then, population growth and urban expansion have changed living areas,
causing many inconveniences in daily life.
Adjusting administrative jurisdiction to match new living areas
is necessary to relieve residents’ inconveniences and improve quality of life.
Accordingly, the People Power Party will reflect residents’ aspirations
and promote the incorporation of Seoul-adjacent cities such as Gimpo and Guri into Seoul.
Northern Gyeonggi should separate to escape capital area regulations
and grow independently.
We must also ease commuting pains for capital area residents.
The government and ruling party will accelerate the GTX project,
opening a 30-minute commuting era in the capital area.
Measures to alleviate congestion on the notorious Gimpo Gold Line will be prioritized.
Relocating the Korea Development Bank is more than a long-standing wish of Busan;
it symbolizes balanced national development.
The Northeast Asia financial hub is a policy embodying former President Roh Moo-hyun’s dream,
which our party respects and supports.
We urge the opposition to decide on the relocation in the 21st National Assembly.
Our party will exempt inheritance tax on business succession for SMEs relocating to regional opportunity development zones.
While attracting large companies is good,
having many sound SMEs helps local youth find jobs easily and revitalizes local commerce.
Though inheritance tax exemption is a bold measure,
our party believes such decisions are necessary to counter regional extinction.
The Local University Promotion Act amendment,
which mandates public institutions to hire at least 35% local talents, passed last month,
but it is still insufficient.
We will continue to push for higher local talent hiring rates.
Transportation infrastructure must also be greatly expanded
to reduce travel time for residents to major hubs,
and increase physical and human exchanges with other regions and abroad.
The government and ruling party have decided to build metropolitan express rail networks in provinces,
similar to the capital area’s GTX,
creating a one-hour living zone.
Laws related to balanced national development passed by the 21st National Assembly,
such as the Gadeokdo New Airport and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport,
will be thoroughly managed to become growth engines for provinces.
■ 5. Financial Reform to Increase Citizens’ Asset Formation Opportunities
Modernizing the financial sector, still lagging internationally,
is another reform gateway we must pass.
Due to the ‘Korea Discount’ in the stock market,
ordinary citizens miss opportunities to increase assets,
and companies are undervalued, losing chances to expand investment.
The price-to-book ratio (PBR) of the domestic stock market is 1.05,
abnormally low compared to the advanced countries’ average of 3.1.
We must normalize stock prices to restore fair asset formation opportunities for citizens.
In this regard, although the two parties agreed,
introducing the financial investment income tax in the 21st National Assembly was a big mistake.
The financial investment income tax, opposed fiercely by 14 million individual investors,
should be abolished before implementation.
Instead, we must develop the stock market to match the economy’s scale,
and enable individual investors to enjoy increasing corporate value.
The government and ruling party will proceed with the planned reduction of securities transaction tax,
even if the financial investment income tax is abolished.
Additionally, we will implement shareholder return policies including corporate value-up programs,
and greatly expand the ISA (Individual Savings Account) contribution and tax exemption limits.
We will tighten crackdowns on illegal short selling,
preventing the Korean stock market from becoming a playground for foreign forces.
The People Power Party will also reform related financial systems
to better protect citizens’ assets.
Despite implementing the Financial Consumer Protection Act since 2021 to prevent mis-selling,
the Hong Kong ELS incident occurred.
Financial authorities should promptly complete strict investigations
and ensure fair compensation for affected citizens.
Separately, our party will consider amending laws to substantiate sales explanation duties
and strengthen responsibilities for mis-selling by financial product sellers.
The deposit insurance limit will be raised from 50 million won to 100 million won,
matching the grown economic scale.
To enable asset formation through savings,
we will relax eligibility and expand term options,
reintroducing tax-favored savings for workers.
For small business owners using loans with interest rates above 7%,
we will support refinancing loans with 4.5% interest products.
The People Power Party will improve the entire system
so financial products become ladders of opportunity for the middle and lower classes,
not playgrounds for the wealthy.
■ Five Political Reforms to Create a Competent and Ethical National Assembly
Citizens,
fellow lawmakers of both parties,
According to the Korea Institute of Public Administration,
the National Assembly’s institutional trust rate was 24.1% in 2022,
ranking lowest among all state institutions, private organizations, and media for ten consecutive years since 2013.
The public views the National Assembly as the most serious ‘reform target.’
To reform society, the National Assembly must first reform itself.
The People Power Party will promote five political reforms in the 22nd National Assembly
to fundamentally change parliamentary politics.
First, we will abolish the semi-proportional representation system
and reform the election system through an external independent body.
In the 20th National Assembly, the Democratic Party introduced the semi-proportional representation system
in collusion with small opposition parties to pass the Corruption Investigation Office Act.
The election system was introduced without the knowledge of the public, media, or even politicians themselves,
only driven by calculations.
What was the result?
The birth of satellite parties was the worst regression in our democracy’s history.
With satellite and fly-by-night parties proliferating,
public opinion was distorted.
The misfortune of the 21st National Assembly arguably began then.
Despite repeated discussions in the Special Committee on Political Reform,
the semi-proportional representation system remained due to the opposition’s strategic calculations.
As a result, a far worse political drama than the last general election is unfolding.
There are concerns that the ballot paper length may exceed last election’s 48 cm,
possibly reaching up to 1 meter.
Within that 1-meter ballot paper,
ineligible politicians who are detained or sentenced,
anti-national forces who deny Korea and join pro-North Korean groups,
may be included in succession.
Politicians who incited the public with fake news and hate speech
are also trying to enter the National Assembly through satellite parties.
The opposition claims the semi-proportional system is more democratic and innovative than the parallel system,
but in reality, it only incubates political pollution.
Advanced parliamentary democracies like the UK, New Zealand, and Norway
entrust election system reforms to independent commissions.
If our party wins the general election,
we will immediately form a fair and transparent external independent committee
and delegate election system reforms, including abolishing the semi-proportional representation system.
Second, we will also transfer electoral district delimitation authority to the National Election Commission.
With only 49 days left until the parliamentary election,
electoral districts are still undecided.
The National Election Commission’s Electoral District Delimitation Committee’s recommendation,
fairly determined by members recommended by both parties and various social sectors based on population changes,
has been ignored by the opposition, who delay decisions based on seat advantages.
As a result, voters and candidates do not know their electoral districts,
creating an absurd situation.
If the People Power Party becomes the majority in the 22nd general election,
we will fully transfer district delimitation authority to the National Election Commission,
preventing recurring electoral district confusion.
Third, lawmakers’ salaries will also be entrusted to a separate independent body for public decision.
No work, yet paid; self-increasing salaries are symbols of an inactive parliament.
The UK House of Commons entrusts salary decisions to an ‘Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’ composed of external experts.
We must form an independent body of external figures
to decide on lawmakers’ salary increases, decreases, and payment methods,
restoring trust in the National Assembly.
Fourth, we will normalize the misused National Assembly Advancement Act.
The Act’s Agenda Coordination Committee was designed to prevent extreme confrontations and establish a negotiation culture,
reflecting public demands.
However, even well-intentioned systems can become poison if abused,
as confirmed throughout the 21st National Assembly.
Satellite parties were used,
and even disguised party resignations were employed,
to carry out legal vote-rigging.
Even if we become the majority,
our party will not repeat this,
and will amend laws to change the committee’s composition or add provisos,
preserving the system’s original intent.
Fifth, we will improve legislative quality.
Although the number of bills proposed by lawmakers has greatly increased,
the passage rate in plenary sessions has declined.
As the number of bills proposed became a physical criterion for legislative activity evaluation,
quality management was neglected.
The People Power Party will introduce a ‘Legislative Impact Analysis System,’
requiring lawmakers to submit reports on the social impact of bills when proposing them.
Moreover, for regulatory bills,
we will introduce regulatory reform experts in each standing committee to strengthen prior review.
We will also conduct post-impact assessments on passed regulatory bills,
establishing triple regulatory safety measures.
We will faithfully keep our general election pledges.
Renouncing immunity from arrest,
returning salaries during trials for confirmed imprisonment or heavier sentences,
reducing the number of lawmakers,
not nominating candidates in by-elections caused by party faults,
and banning political fund acceptance through book launches
are essential for political development.
We will implement these promises in the 22nd National Assembly,
and gather public consensus to push for necessary legal amendments.
■ Joint Parliamentary Response to North Korea’s Provocations
Respected citizens,
fellow lawmakers,
With this year’s general election and the US presidential election,
North Korea is expected to escalate provocations.
North Korea denies kinship with us and emphasizes being a belligerent state,
continuing provocations such as missile launches and shelling in the West Sea.
They even call the NLL a ‘ghost ship,’ heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
It is time for our political community to unite to protect the nation and people.
North Korea’s purpose in escalating provocations before the election is clear.
They aim to create a climate of fear and intimidate our people,
interfering in the April general election.
We must not be swayed.
Especially, repeating baseless ‘North Wind conspiracy theories’ that the government induces provocations for political purposes
seriously harms national security.
North Korea’s night sky, armed with nuclear weapons, is shrouded in darkness,
while Korea’s night sky, peacefully using nuclear power, is filled with the light of economic prosperity.
If disguised peace comes at the cost of submission,
all our people will strongly reject it.
True peace on the Korean Peninsula starts with strong security based on the Korea-US alliance.
When we have firm deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,
and pressure North Korea with the international community,
the regime will have no choice but to move toward change and openness.
There must be no more partisan strife over security.
To this end, the People Power Party proposes forming a bipartisan-government security consultative body
to jointly respond to major military threats.
■ Grand Agreement on Urgent Livelihood Issues
Fellow lawmakers,
During the election campaign, people’s lives continue unchanged.
Political interests must not override the public’s interests.
I propose a grand agreement on the following issues
to faithfully care for livelihoods during the remaining term of the 21st National Assembly.
First, I earnestly request the Democratic Party to renegotiate the postponement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.
Small business owners and self-employed people, busy with their livelihoods,
have no time to properly examine the Act’s contents.
Many say they would rather close their businesses than risk imprisonment.
A few days ago, about 5,000 small business owners gathered in Gwangju,
pleading for postponement of the Act.
Our National Assembly must no longer ignore their appeals.
If the Democratic Party refuses to renegotiate,
the People Power Party will amend the Act unilaterally after winning the general election.
Second, let us strive again for bipartisan agreement on the Itaewon tragedy special law.
Since the Itaewon tragedy is a pain shared by all citizens,
its aftermath must not divide society.
We need a genuine special law that consoles and supports the bereaved families sincerely,
and prevents such disasters from recurring,
not a law that politicizes the disaster.
To this end, the composition of the special investigation committee
must be readjusted to be fair and neutral.
We propose discussing amendments to the special law,
focusing on continuing national memorial projects for the bereaved families
and providing sufficient compensation.
Third, let us pass the amendment to the Export-Import Bank Act in this National Assembly.
Currently, about 30 trillion won worth of defense exports to Poland depend on this.
If the amendment is not passed in the 21st National Assembly,
export volume will decrease,
resulting in losses for the people.
Fourth, let us enact the Special Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste Management.
Regardless of the nuclear phase-out or pro-nuclear debate,
used nuclear fuel already generated must be safely disposed of.
The current generation enjoying nuclear power benefits
must not pass radioactive waste management responsibilities to future generations.
Facing the AI era’s surging electricity demand,
both parties should learn from Germany and France’s contrasting experiences.
Above all, the National Assembly must now resolve the appeals of residents living with decades of anxiety
in nuclear power plant areas temporarily storing used nuclear fuel.
■ Choice of the Republic of Korea for Coexistence and Mutual Growth
Last month, a Democratic Party leader and a People Power Party lawmaker
were unexpectedly assaulted.
These incidents show how political language becomes a weapon against opposing parties,
and how someone among the people takes that weapon to commit physical violence,
creating a vicious cycle of hatred.
Foreign media reporting these assaults described
“Korean politics as deeply polarized and divided,”
highlighting the severe regression of our political culture.
Unless the National Assembly ends the politics of hatred,
such unfortunate incidents are likely to continue.
Before the vicious cycle of hatred completely destroys normal politics,
the political community must swiftly self-purify.
In the 22nd National Assembly, ruling and opposition parties should come together
to find and implement ways to innovate political culture.
Let us revive the virtues of dialogue and compromise,
and drive out verbal violence demonizing opponents from the Assembly.
Let us view opposing parties not as targets for punishment and liquidation,
but as subjects for dialogue and persuasion.
I appeal to fellow lawmakers and all politicians
to restore parliamentary politics through political culture innovation in the 22nd National Assembly.
Citizens who love the Republic of Korea!
You say we live in an era of every man for himself.
In a country where people’s hearts are torn apart,
no reform is possible.
If we do not find the path of coexistence and mutual growth now,
social conflicts will spread,
leading to a tragic collapse of the nation.
Politics that survive together and live together is urgently needed.
The People Power Party will lead society
where all citizens live together harmoniously,
not divided by camps or individuals.
In a country where growth has stopped,
people’s lives inevitably suffer.
We will restart the clock of economic growth,
and ensure its fruits return to the majority of the people.
Livelihood or political strife, that is the question.
The party with a sincere will to restore livelihoods,
and that can cooperate with the government to care for the people’s lives,
must lead the 22nd National Assembly.
Please vote for the better lives of the people.
Please vote for a more growing and developing Republic of Korea.
We will make politics a force for the people.
Thank you for listening.
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