Lee Heonseung, Song Eonseok, and Kim Sungwon pledge strong resistance against the ruling party
"We will stand with the people and present rational alternatives"
Calls for decentralizing floor leader authority and establishing a shadow cabinet
Emphasis on internal unity and restoring public trust
Lee Heonseung, a four-term lawmaker from Busanjin-eul, who is running for the new floor leader of the People Power Party, and Song Eonseok, a three-term lawmaker from Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, and Kim Sungwon, a three-term lawmaker from Dongducheon, Yangju, and Yeoncheon-eul, Gyeonggi Province, emphasized on the 16th that they would strongly fight against the dominant ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 16th, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, during the party floor leader election general meeting, People Power Party lawmakers are listening to the greeting speech of Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Yongtae. Photo by Yonhap News
At the general assembly of lawmakers held in the afternoon at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, for the election of the floor leader, Lee Heonseung stated, "There are hardly any means to keep the massive opposition party in check, which can do anything except declare martial law," and added, "We will confront them with strong resistance. We will stand on the side of the people, present rational and proper alternatives, and keep the government and the ruling party in check."
Lee also said, "If the Democratic Party pushes through with its numerical advantage, we will respond very strongly as well. We will refuse to vote in the plenary session on bills that are unilaterally passed in standing committees. The responsibility for any bills forcibly passed should rest entirely with the government and the ruling party."
He continued, "We will establish a permanent consultative body between the ruling and opposition parties to accurately convey the demands of the people to the government and the ruling party. During the previous administration, the Democratic Party persistently demanded a summit meeting between party leaders. We will also ensure regular summit meetings so that we can sit directly at the table with the president for negotiations."
Kim Sungwon stated, "To become a strong opposition party, I believe we need to decentralize the authority of the floor leader," and added, "Currently, the chief deputy floor leader should serve as a kind of chief political officer, and we need to create a new position for a floor policy chief as well as appoint secretaries for all standing committees."
Kim further explained, "Until now, we had the right to request reconsideration as our last line of defense, but now, the only thing we can rely on is the people. We must strengthen the spokesperson team within the party and work together with the public."
He also said, "We should invite former floor leaders as advisory members to reduce trial and error with their wisdom and experience. I am considering holding regular meetings every Wednesday at 10 a.m."
Song Eonseok stated, "As a minority opposition party, the only thing we can trust is public sentiment. The role of the media is important. All 107 lawmakers should consider themselves spokespersons for the party and take the lead in communicating with the media."
Song emphasized, "We must maximize our policy capabilities. We need to establish a shadow cabinet to continuously suggest directions for state affairs. We should develop policies that address livelihood issues and create proactive policy alternatives."
He particularly stressed, "We must operate a budget monitoring system 365 days a year. We need to identify how taxpayers' money is being wasted under the Lee Jaemyung administration and propose a reorganization of standing committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts."
People Power Party floor leader Kwon Seongdong and emergency committee chairman Kim Yongtae are saluting the national flag at the party floor leader election general assembly held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News
There were somewhat differing opinions regarding the issue of internal reform within the People Power Party.
Lee Heonseung said, "The public is demanding change and renewal," but also noted, "The responsibility for the defeat in the recent presidential election lies with all of us, not any one individual. We cannot single out anyone for blame."
Lee added, "We will form a neutral evaluation body for the presidential election to analyze the causes and find solutions. Above all, we will restore a leadership style that promotes centrist unity to prevent internal division. I will set aside authority and create a path toward harmony."
Song Eonseok said, "To listen not only to voices within the party but also from outside, we need a general assembly of lawmakers to listen to the people. We will also improve our communication structure to restore trust and better reflect public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area."
He added, "We will establish a personnel policy based on expertise and competence, and ensure that the collective will of the lawmakers is effectively reflected in the operation of the party."
Kim Sungwon emphasized that renewal should come after achieving internal unity within the party.
Kim said, "Just as a patient needs basic strength before surgery, our party needs to be united first. Many worry about factions within our party, but I believe there are 107 factions, one for each lawmaker. Each lawmaker is a gem, and we must bring these gems together and present them to the people."
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