Seoul City Council Democratic Party "Did Not Promote Street Protests"

Seoul City Council Democratic Party Spokesperson Lim Gyu-ho Criticizes on 22nd, Accusing People Power Party of Distorting Cause of Committee Chair Negotiation Breakdown and Making Violent 'Unilateral Processing' Excuse, Dozens Competing to Be Chair, Calling It an Untimely 'Gamtu Nori' Embarrassing for Citizens

?The greed for positions within the People Power Party has cast a red light on the second half organizational formation of the Seoul Metropolitan Council. On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party (Representative Assemblyman Seong Heum-je, Eunpyeong 1) strongly condemned the People Power Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council for provoking a breakdown in the organizational formation through unreasonable negotiations and declaring the sole election of all committee chairpersons.

Im Gyu-ho, spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party, stated in a commentary that "Since the election of the chairperson team for the second half in June, the Democratic Party and the People Power Party have continued negotiations between negotiation groups for organizational formation. The Democratic Party's consistent position was to maintain the distribution of committee chairpersons and the number of committee members between the two parties as in the first half. In the first half, the Democratic Party held 3 out of 11 standing committee chair positions," he said. However, the People Power Party became increasingly aggressive following their internal representative election. Initially proposing only 2 committee chairpersons, they later insisted on retaining the Education Committee chairperson for themselves and proposed the remaining 3 chairs to the Democratic Party.

He added, "After long deliberation, the Democratic Party accepted this and was in the process of organizing other conditions to propose, but the People Power Party suddenly engaged in media play and insisted on unilateral enforcement. Moreover, they falsely misled by mentioning an uninitiated outdoor protest. This is disrespectful to the opposing negotiation group," he criticized.

The People Power Party, holding two-thirds of the total seats in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, has indeed committed outrageous acts. In the first half, they held 8 out of 11 standing committee chair positions. Additionally, they monopolized all three permanent committees?the Policy Committee, Budget Policy Committee, and Public Relations Editing Committee?as well as all other various review committees.

There was even an occasion when Choi Ho-jung, former People Power Party representative assemblyman who is now the chairperson, delayed granting the Democratic Party’s second-term Budget and Accounts Committee chairperson position?despite having signed an agreement?by raising all sorts of objections, paralyzing the Budget and Accounts Committee for nearly three months. Dozens of People Power Party assemblymen also stepped forward claiming they would take the Democratic Party’s Budget and Accounts Committee chair position for themselves.

This time, the People Power Party intends to take all of these positions.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party cannot help but ask the People Power Party: For what purpose are you spreading falsehoods that do not even exist, misleading the reasons for negotiation breakdown, and fabricating false justifications for unilateral enforcement?

Ahead of the second half organizational formation, it is said that dozens of People Power Party assemblymen have stepped forward to claim committee chair positions. It seems the People Power Party leadership, unable to manage the internal strife over these positions, is throwing a tantrum to monopolize all standing and permanent committee chair positions by sacrificing the Democratic Party.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party kindly explains to the People Power Party, which has been dividing everything according to seat proportions for the past two years: ▶ Dividing the 22 standing committee chair positions between the first and second halves according to seat proportions results in 7 for the Democratic Party and 17 for the People Power Party. According to seat proportions, the Democratic Party should have 4 committee chair positions in the second half. ▶ Similarly, for the 6 permanent committee chair positions across the first and second halves, applying the People Power Party’s usual seat proportion approach means 2 positions belong to the Democratic Party.

Respecting the status of the majority party and practicing the spirit of cooperation, the Democratic Party proposed an early organizational formation by conceding one standing committee chair and one permanent committee chair position. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Council People Power Party responded with low-level media play and unilateral enforcement, for which the Democratic Party expresses deep regret.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council Democratic Party sternly warns the People Power Party against their violent parliamentary operation that demands only their own requests despite the Democratic Party’s request for fewer committee chair positions than their seat proportion. The People Power Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council should not invoke ‘citizens’ in their deceptive outrage for party interests.

Just as one cannot cover the sky with a palm, one cannot blind the citizens’ eyes with lies. The ruling party’s ‘responsibility’ is not about handing out positions to its members but about legislative activities based on cooperation and respect, which the People Power Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council must keep in mind, the Democratic Party warned.

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