[President Yoon Press Conference] Park Chandae: "Yoon Kicked Away His Own Chance to Change"

Repeated Call for Acceptance of Sergeant Chae Special Prosecutor Law
"Support" from Low Birthrate Response Planning Department

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol's 2nd anniversary press conference, saying he "kicked away the opportunity to change himself." However, he expressed willingness to cooperate, agreeing with the establishment of a dedicated department to address the low birthrate issue.

Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae is making an urgent statement regarding the president's press conference on the afternoon of the 9th in the floor leader meeting room of the National Assembly main building.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 9th, Park made an urgent statement at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, saying, "There was no reflection on the general election results at all in President Yoon's press conference. It was a very disappointing press conference that completely failed to meet the public's expectations," adding, "He still stubbornly insists, 'I did well, but communication was lacking.' How is this different from writing the wrong answer and insisting it is correct?"

Park criticized, "He completely avoided proper mention of the 250,000 won livelihood recovery support fund reflecting public demands and the special investigation on Corporal Chae Sang-byeong, effectively rejecting them," and pointed out, "There was enough time to reflect on the general election results, and the Democratic Party conveyed the people's demands without reservation during the summit meeting, but President Yoon kicked away the opportunity to change himself." He continued, "Stop making excuses and fully accept the special investigation law on Corporal Chae Sang-byeong," emphasizing, "If a veto is exercised, the president alone must take full responsibility for all subsequent consequences."

It is expected that the party will strengthen its offensive against the government going forward. Park said, "The public wants to know the truth about allegations involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee, such as the Yangpyeong Expressway, stock manipulation, and receipt of luxury bags. It is inappropriate to dismiss these as political attacks," adding, "When the 22nd National Assembly begins, we will reintroduce the special investigation law related to various allegations against the First Lady Kim." Regarding the special investigation law on Corporal Chae Sang-byeong, he explained, "We will carefully examine the parts involving public suspicion." The Democratic Party plans to launch an emergency action led by newly elected first-term lawmakers the following day to push for the enactment of the special investigation on Corporal Chae Sang-byeong.

However, regarding the low birthrate issue, he expressed willingness to cooperate with the government. During the press conference, President Yoon announced the establishment of the 'Low Birthrate Response Planning Department' at the level of Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and requested the National Assembly's cooperation to amend the government organization act. Park said, "I positively agree with the plan to create a special government agency related to the low birthrate," and added, "As the opposition party, we will review whether there are areas where we need to cooperate or work together."