Deadlock in Ruling and Opposition Leaders' Talks... Opposition: "Han Dong-hoon Must Speak Independently"

"South Korea Seems Trapped in a Dilemma Over Relations with Yongsan"

Kim Woo-young, Chief of Political Coordination at the Democratic Party of Korea, raised his voice toward the People Power Party, saying, "Political parties can only flourish when they represent public opinion, exert pressure on the government, and express independent voices."

On the 26th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "In a democratic country, the ruling party is neither an accessory nor a rubber stamp for the government."

Handonghun, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the high-level party-government meeting held on the 25th at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim stated that it is honestly not easy to reach an agreement on the agenda to be discussed at the party leaders' meeting. He said, "The opposition party wants to exercise strong checks and balances and push for special investigations or national audits as a response to the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's dominance and irrational impulses," adding, "Since the ruling party leader is essentially tied to the Yoon administration, they cannot take one stance or the other. This is the problem that arises."

Regarding the deadlock over the party leaders' meeting between the ruling and opposition parties, Kim pointed out issues in the party-government relationship. He explained that Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, has not established a horizontal party-government relationship with the presidential office, causing stagnation in dialogue between the parties. He criticized, "For the party leaders' meeting to be successful, both sides need to have independent decision-making authority," and added, "Han Dong-hoon seems to be trapped in a dilemma regarding his relationship with Yongsan."

Kim said, "Looking at Han Dong-hoon's nearly 65% support rate in the party convention, it is clear that even citizens who support the ruling party have expressed critical awareness of Yongsan's overreach and Kim Geon-hee's excessive involvement and manipulation in state affairs," and stated, "Therefore, the Han Dong-hoon administration, decided by that will, should have been more independent according to the aspirations of its supporters."

Kim revealed that the date for the party leaders' meeting, postponed due to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung testing positive for COVID-19, is "under discussion with several tentative options," adding, "Since agenda coordination is a priority, the date could be shortened or delayed depending on the direction of the agenda coordination."