Song Eonseok: "Lee Jaemyung's Cooperation Was a Lie"
On Government Reorganization: "No Agreement Possible"
The People Power Party has launched a full-scale campaign against the Democratic Party following the breakdown of the agreement on the three major special prosecutor bills (insurrection, Kim Keonhee, and the death in the line of duty of a Marine). Starting with a rally at the National Assembly and Yongsan on September 12, the party also plans to organize large-scale protests outside the parliament. As the ruling and opposition parties, who had once shaken hands during a luncheon with President Lee Jaemyung, clash again, it is expected that discussions on government reorganization and other key issues will become increasingly difficult.
Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, and Song Eonseok, floor leader, along with other leadership members, are attending a discussion on the 100-day government failure of the Lee Jae-myung administration held at the National Assembly on September 12, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on this day, "It only took three days for President Lee Jaemyung's smiling remark on Monday, asking the ruling party with more to give more, to be revealed as a lie. The ruling and opposition parties agreed not to extend the special prosecutor's investigation period and not to excessively expand its scope, but the Democratic Party broke this agreement within a day," he criticized.
On this day, the People Power Party is launching its campaign against the administration by holding a discussion on the '100-day government failure of the Lee Jaemyung administration' in the morning, followed by a 'Rally Against Oppression of the Opposition and Dictatorial Politics' on the steps in front of the main building of the National Assembly and in front of the presidential office in Yongsan in the afternoon. With the Democratic Party continuing to push for legislation such as the amendment to the special prosecutor bill, the party plans to mobilize local party chairs, party officials, and members for protests, rather than resorting to filibusters (unlimited debate).
The decision on whether to detain Kwon Seongdong, a People Power Party lawmaker whose arrest motion was passed at the plenary session the previous day, is considered a major turning point. If Kwon, known as a staunch ally of President Yoon Sukyeol, is detained, it is expected that investigations will accelerate not only into Choo Kyungho, who was the floor leader during the martial law period, but also into lawmakers who did not participate in the vote and those implicated in the Kim Keonhee and Marine death special prosecutor investigations. In this case, anxiety within the party is expected to spread, further fueling momentum for protests outside the parliament.
For the time being, meetings between floor leaders, which have served as a channel for negotiations on contentious issues, are also expected to be suspended. Jeong Heeyong, Secretary-General, pointed out at the meeting, "If agreements and negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties can be overturned by a single word from the Democratic Party leader, it is questionable whether any future agreements can be trusted." Another party official said, "Kim Byungki, the floor leader, must either fulfill his role through internal coordination or step down; in this situation, negotiations are impossible."
Cooperation on the amendment to the Government Organization Act, which the government and ruling party are currently pursuing, has also become difficult. Initially, the People Power Party had agreed to cooperate in passing the bill to establish the Financial Supervisory Commission in the Political Affairs Committee, chaired by the People Power Party, in exchange for the Democratic Party partially reflecting the opposition's views in the three major special prosecutor bill amendments. Choi Eunseok, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, told reporters, "It is not a situation where we can agree on the Government Organization Act either."
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