Park Ji-won After Attending Military Parade: "Three and a Half Years of Chaos Under Yoon Put Korea Behind China"

Surprised by the Changed Face of China
Publicly Praises Speaker Woo Won-shik's Actions

Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who returned to Korea after attending the 80th Anniversary Victory Day military parade in China, expressed his concerns that Korea seems to be falling behind, sharing his impressions of his visit to China. He stated, "Three and a half years of chaos under Yoon Suk-yeol have put us behind China." On the 4th, Park wrote on his social media, "China is changing. It has already changed completely." He continued, "The air (in China) is very clean. Everything has switched to electric vehicles, and autonomous driving is just around the corner. The advancements in AI robots are astonishing." However, he also pointed out, "Unemployment is a serious problem. In areas like highway toll collection, Korea is ahead."

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jiwon Park and the South Korean delegation participating in the 80th Anniversary of China's Victory Day event. Photo by Jiwon Park on Facebook

He went on to say, "Korea's R&D budget is also changing, and we are moving toward becoming one of the top three AI powerhouses." He argued, "Just as Samsung Electronics, once lagging behind Apple's iPhone, developed Anycall and then became a leader with 'adult phones' that overtook the iPhone, we must write another success story." Finally, he encouraged his supporters by saying, "The 100th day of the Lee Jae-myung administration is approaching. We can do it. President Lee Jae-myung is taking action. We can do it!"

Park Ji-won Says He Saw the True Character of Woo Won-shik at Victory Day: Why?

On the 2nd, Park attended the Victory Day event along with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, fellow Democratic Party members Kim Tae-nyeon, Park Jeong, and Hong Ki-won, as well as Kim Jun-hyung from the Rebuilding Korea Party. This event drew attention as it was the first time in 66 years, since the Cold War, that the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia gathered together. There was also interest in whether Speaker Woo, attending as Korea's representative, would have a chance to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. According to the Speaker's office, Woo attended a welcome luncheon and exchanged greetings with Kim in the waiting room before the parade. Participants who accompanied Woo reported that he said to Kim, "It's been seven years since we last met (since 2018)." Kim responded, "Yes," but reportedly did not show any further reaction.

As the next schedule, Speaker Woo inspected the Sampaejah Garden, a historic site of the independence movement in Beijing, on the 3rd. Sampaejah Garden is where 15 independence activists, including Shin Chaeho, Lee Hoe-young, Park Yongman, and Shin Sook, held the "Military Unification Preparatory Meeting," a conference for the unification of military organizations, from April to June 1921. Photo by Jiwon Park Facebook

As the next part of his schedule, Speaker Woo inspected the Sampaejah Garden, a historic site of the independence movement in Beijing, on the 3rd. Sampaejah Garden is where 15 independence activists, including Shin Chaeho, Lee Hoe-young, Park Yongman, and Shin Sook, held the "Military Unification Preparatory Committee" meeting from April to June 1921, which was a conference for the unification of military organizations. After visiting Sampaejah Garden, Speaker Woo hosted a dinner and discussion with descendants of independence activists. He said, "I am grateful for the noble sacrifices and efforts of our ancestors who left their hometowns and devoted themselves to independence far from home," and added, "I will also focus on discovering and commemorating the sites of our independence movement in China."

Regarding Speaker Woo's actions, Park wrote on social media after returning to Korea on the 4th, "After attending the Victory Day luncheon hosted by President Xi Jinping and participating in both events, I was once again deeply impressed by Speaker Woo's true character, whom I have always respected. Both Speaker Woo and I are descendants of independence activists, but is it possible for there to be such a difference between us? I am reflecting a lot."