"The Local Elections Are Still Far Off, and Many Variables Remain"
"A Few Seats Gained Through Shortsightedness Are Not Everything"
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won has urged former National Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, who has been actively expanding his activities, to exercise caution. Park referred to Cho's visit to the Honam region and warned that early political moves could potentially have adverse effects.
Former leader of the National Innovation Party, Cho Kuk, is seen moving after paying respects at Busan Democracy Park in Jung-gu, Busan on the 24th. Busan Democracy Park is the place where former leader Cho declared the founding of the National Innovation Party. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 24th, Park shared an article from OhmyNews titled "Even Gwangju voices criticism of Cho Kuk... Yet Honam still holds expectations" on his social media account, stating, "The article about the National Innovation Party preparing to compete with the Democratic Party in the local elections in Honam, and former leader Cho visiting the region, was interesting."
He acknowledged, "It cannot be denied that people in Honam hope the Democratic Party will perform better through checks and competition, rather than simply being the dominant party." However, he pointed out, "The issue is that Honam views both the Democratic Party and the National Innovation Party from the same perspective."
Park also drew a clear line, saying that even if Cho manages to secure a few basic local government head or council seats in the upcoming local elections, it does not mean that the National Innovation Party will become a true alternative to the Democratic Party. He warned, "Securing a few local government head and council seats in Honam through short-sighted gains does not make the Innovation Party the Democratic Party. If the party even fields a candidate for a metropolitan government head, the outcome is obvious, and the media will likely interpret it as division."
Democratic Party lawmaker Ji Won Park urged former Justice Minister and former leader of the Innovation Party, Guk Cho, who has been actively expanding his activities, to exercise caution.
Park also mentioned his past support for Cho. "I am close to former leader Cho, and during the last general election, I insisted on standing with him even though I was disciplined by the Democratic Party for supporting Cho. I was the first to advocate for Cho's pardon, reinstatement, and even for the unification with the National Innovation Party," he said.
He continued, addressing Cho, "I understand that some Innovation Party members are urging you to target the Honam region. I ask you to be cautious. Acting hastily will lead to failure. The election is not imminent; there is still a significant amount of time. Many variables may arise in the meantime. Do not make short-sighted decisions right now," he repeatedly emphasized.
On the afternoon of the same day, former leader Cho paid a courtesy visit to former President Moon Jae-in, and starting on the 26th, he is scheduled to visit the Gwangju National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery and then tour South Jeolla and North Jeolla provinces over a three-day itinerary in the Honam region.
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