Song Eonseok: "President Lee Did Not Give a Direct Answer to Request for Reconsideration of Prime Minister Nomination"

"Requested Allocation of Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairmanship to the Opposition,
But Did Not Receive a Positive Response"

Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, commented on the luncheon meeting with President Lee Jaemyung on the 22nd, saying, "(The People Power Party) pointed out the issues with the nomination of Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok and requested a reconsideration, but President Lee did not give a direct answer, simply stating that he would 'wait and see the confirmation hearing.'

Floor leader Song held a press conference at the National Assembly and introduced the main points of the luncheon meeting between President Lee and the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, which took place at the presidential residence earlier that day. From the People Power Party, interim leader Kim Yongtae and floor leader Song attended.

People Power Party floor leader Song Eonseok is holding a press conference related to the president-opposition party leadership luncheon at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

Song also raised the 'father's influence' allegations and suspicions regarding Tsinghua University degrees related to Prime Minister nominee Kim, stating, "I reiterated that since the nominee does not meet the public's expectations, there is no need to even proceed to a confirmation hearing, and that this appointment would place a significant burden on the president and the new administration's governance." He interpreted President Lee's lack of a direct response to the opposition's concerns as "perhaps an indirect indication that he has no intention of withdrawing the nomination."

Song further stated, "I strongly urged President Lee to restore politics for the sake of people's livelihoods," adding, "As the first step, I proposed restoring the constitutional principle of allocating the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to the opposition, but unfortunately did not receive a positive response." He continued, "To realize the democratic value of checks and balances, I asked for leadership in normalizing the National Assembly by returning the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to its proper place, since if the Democratic Party, which controls both the executive and legislative branches, continues to monopolize the committee chairmanship, there is a significant risk of unchecked legislative dictatorship based on their majority." However, President Lee avoided a direct answer and only said, 'An agreement between the ruling and opposition parties is necessary.'

Song also pointed out that "the debt relief measure for chronic debtors in the supplementary budget bill constitutes reverse discrimination against those who have faithfully repaid their debts and is unfair," explaining that the supplementary budget issue was also discussed during the luncheon. He added, "We also had some discussions about issues related to government reorganization." He stated, "It is meaningful that the opposition, government, and ruling party have taken the first step toward cooperation," but emphasized, "Communication is not just about words, but about action. I hope to see practical implementation of the opposition's advice and demands in the administration of state affairs."

Song concluded, "We will be watching this week to see what happens with Prime Minister nominee Kim's position and whether the Democratic Party will allocate the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship," and warned, "If the government and ruling party hold onto both legislative and executive power without making any concessions, it will be difficult to avoid public criticism that the opposition was merely used as a prop during a single meal."