6-term Former Minister of Justice
"Exerting Bipartisan Leadership"
Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, a six-term lawmaker aiming to become the ‘first female Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly,’ explained her remark that “the Speaker of the National Assembly is not neutral” by saying it means “exercising bipartisan leadership.”
On the 24th, Chu appeared on CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' and said, “It’s not about mechanical neutrality or cooperation, but about looking at public sentiment, creating alternatives for the people, and pushing them forward.” She added, “To do that, efforts and persuasion to prepare those alternatives are necessary, and since public consensus must be formed, leadership that constantly faces reality and works hard is required.”
She recalled, “In the past, during my tenure as Speaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, there was a precedent where we made the mistake of spoiling a nearly completed meal, neither fish nor rice,” noting, “As a result, we were heavily criticized for weakening and stalling prosecutorial reform.”
She continued, “If given the opportunity, I will fulfill the mission of the era and dedicate myself,” adding, “I am determined to carry out media reform and prosecutorial reform, which have been postponed while preparing for the future, such as the climate crisis and livelihood bills.”
She emphasized, “The Speaker must make efforts to understand what the issues are,” and said, “It’s not about receiving ceremonial treatment, banging the gavel, and putting on a show while saying, ‘If the ruling and opposition parties don’t agree, I can’t do anything.’ Real capability must back it up.” She stressed the role of determining which bills align with public sentiment, how to protect the people and their human rights, and how to serve as a mechanism to revive the economy and livelihoods.
Regarding the agenda for talks between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, she said, “‘Ichaeyangmyeongju’ must definitely be brought up as an agenda item.”
‘Ichaeyangmyeongju’ is a slogan used by the Democratic Party during the general election campaign emphasizing ‘judgment on the regime.’ It refers collectively to the Itaewon disaster, allegations of external pressure on the investigation into the death of soldier Chae Sang-byeong, suspicions about the change of the Yangpyeong Expressway terminus, controversy over First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s luxury handbag, and stock price manipulation allegations.
Chu said, “We ran the general election under the banner of Ichaeyangmyeongju, which earned us many votes,” and added, “The case involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s stock price manipulation is connected to the ‘whistleblower’ scandal. It is the root of the prosecutorial coup.”
She explained, “Through the Investigation Information Policy Office, which holds information that influences the political situation, the media was manipulated and everything was attempted to be covered up through legal technicalities,” adding, “This is the process of privatizing prosecutorial power and nurturing the ambition for a prosecutorial coup. It’s not just a single stock price manipulation case but a network of interconnected issues like the branches of a sweet potato vine.”
Meanwhile, as the Democratic Party achieved a landslide victory in the April 10 general election, competition is intensifying ahead of the election of the first Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly. As of this day, candidates who have officially declared their intention to run for Speaker include former Democratic Party Secretary-General Jo Jung-sik, a six-term lawmaker, and five-term lawmaker Jung Sung-ho, in addition to former Minister Chu Mi-ae. Among other five-term lawmakers, Kim Tae-nyeon and Woo Won-shik are considering running, and lawmakers Park Ji-won, Ahn Kyu-baek, Yoon Ho-jung, and Chung Dong-young are also mentioned as potential candidates.
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