"Stalin and Mao Zedong Come to Mind"... Calls for Self-Reflection in the Democratic Party
On the 14th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon fiercely criticized Lee Jae-myung, leader of the major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "It reminds me of Stalin, who ruled through fear politics, and Mao Zedong, who led the Red Guards." This was a critique of the Democratic Party's move to monopolize standing committees.
Mayor Oh pointed out on Facebook, "The Democratic Party, where Lee Jae-myung's one-man dominance system has been completed, is seriously threatening the democratic system itself." He added, "Ignoring the distribution of standing committees for dialogue and compromise, they are monopolizing the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Steering Committee, and the Judiciary Committee, creating a parliamentary dictatorship. Following bills to punish and discipline prosecutors and judges who do not suit their tastes, they have even proposed legislation to limit the president's veto power, aiming to paralyze the executive branch."
"This is nothing less than an attempt to undermine the constitutional separation of powers among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches and place all three under the control of Lee Jae-myung alone," he said, urging, "I call for a movement of self-reflection and reformation within the Democratic Party against Lee Jae-myung, who is trying to go beyond the so-called Yeouido president to an even greater path."
On the 10th, the Democratic Party held a solo plenary session and took control of 11 key standing committees. This included the chairmanships of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Steering Committee, and the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, which the Democratic Party had declared as essential to secure.
The plenary session on the 13th was canceled due to a standoff between the ruling and opposition parties over the distribution of standing committee chairmanships. Following the cancellation, the Democratic Party announced plans to swiftly pass contentious bills with the opposition parties alone. They also pressured the People Power Party by setting Thursday the 20th as the de facto deadline for organizing the National Assembly.
Lee Jae-myung reportedly suggested at a luncheon meeting with standing committee secretaries the previous day that, as a countermeasure to the ruling party's boycott of standing committees, "How about broadcasting more standing committee meetings live on YouTube and other platforms?"
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