Park Chan-dae: "We Must Be More Capable and Deliver Greater Results"
Woo Sang-ho: "Ensuring Seamless Communication for Unified Party-Government Action"
Park Chan-dae, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Woo Sang-ho, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, both called for cooperation between the party and the government on June 10 to achieve key goals such as ending internal strife, driving economic growth, restoring livelihoods, and fostering national unity in order to build a new Republic of Korea.
During a meeting at the National Assembly that afternoon, Park said to Woo, "As a partner in governance and as the ruling party, the Democratic Party will actively cooperate with President Lee Jaemyung and the Cabinet to address these four major challenges of our era."
Park also noted that Woo had served as the Democratic Party's floor leader during the 2016 political scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, stating, "As we approach December 3, 2024-eight years later-and work through the process of resolving the December 3 Martial Law and impeachment, I find that we have drawn much reference from your judgments and the path you previously took. I believe that, as we reestablish a democratic government and tackle the new challenges of our era, we must be even more capable and deliver greater results."
Woo conveyed, "President Lee Jaemyung asked me to express his gratitude for your support during the last presidential election, when the leadership, lawmakers, and all party members rallied together around acting leader Park Chan-dae to help secure his victory. I would like to extend this gratitude to all party members as well."
He continued, "President Lee believes that the way to repay the people as a government founded on popular sovereignty is to build a truly new Republic of Korea that delivers tangible results and a sense of efficacy for the public. To that end, he is fully committed to revitalizing the people's livelihoods and the economy. In addition, efforts are being made without any gaps to restore summit-level diplomacy, which had been suspended for six months, in order to enhance national prestige and advance the national interest."
Woo further emphasized, "Although the Office of the President exists, all matters in the Republic of Korea must pass through the National Assembly. To do so, cooperation from the ruling party is paramount. President Lee has specifically requested that we do our utmost to communicate with the ruling party. I will serve as a channel for communication to ensure that the Office of the President and the party can operate as one, in an organic manner."
He added, "In particular, on the premise of the autonomy and independence of the party and the ruling party, if lawmakers and party members can consolidate their collective will, I will faithfully serve as a conduit to ensure those views are reflected in state administration by the Office of the President."
Roh Jong-myon, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, told reporters after the meeting between Park and Woo, "President Lee, through Secretary Woo, strongly emphasized the importance of an extra budget (supplementary budget). He also said that, while sharing a consensus on the importance of legislative tasks, it will be necessary to handle them through consultation and cooperation." Earlier that morning, Park had stated at a party strategy meeting that a supplementary budget of more than 20 trillion won should be processed swiftly.
Regarding the three special prosecutor bills (related to the December 3 Martial Law, Kim Keon-hee, and Chae Sang-byeong) approved at the Cabinet meeting that day, Roh explained, "The party asked Secretary Woo to check once again that, since the special prosecutor bills have been concluded at the Cabinet meeting, the candidate nomination procedures will soon proceed, as well as matters related to the appointment of Constitutional Court justices."
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