First Official Duty: Pays Respects at the National Cemetery
Cho Kuk, former interim leader of the Innovation Party of Korea, has been re-elected as party leader after 11 months and will now take the helm to lead the party in the local elections scheduled for June next year.
Cho Kuk, leader of the Innovation Party, is leaving a message in the guestbook after paying respects at the Memorial Tower of the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News
The newly appointed leader Cho began his first official activity on the morning of the 24th by visiting the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, to pay respects at the graves of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam. His immediate tasks include devising strategies for next year's local elections, boosting the party's approval ratings, and solidifying the party's identity. The Innovation Party is reportedly planning to field its own candidates in all basic council elections nationwide and to maintain an independent stance in gubernatorial elections, focusing particularly on the Honam region.
Whether or not the party will merge with the Democratic Party remains uncertain. However, given the Innovation Party's relatively weak presence, there will likely be ongoing discussions about forming a friendly electoral alliance with the Democratic Party to improve its chances of success.
Another closely watched issue is whether Cho Kuk himself will run as a candidate. Political circles are paying attention to the possibility of him entering the race for major positions such as Seoul Mayor or Busan Mayor, or running in the by-election for the National Assembly seat in Gyeyang-eul, Incheon, which was previously represented by President Lee Jae-myung.
Restoring the party's approval rating is a top priority. The Innovation Party's support has recently stagnated at around 2 to 4 percent due to internal issues, which is about half the level it achieved during last year's general elections. Cho Kuk has set a goal of raising the party's approval rating to at least 10 percent by the spring of next year.
Cho Kuk's emphasis on "guaranteeing the right to housing" as his top priority in his acceptance speech the previous day also reflects this goal. Notably, prosecutorial reform, which had been the party's political identity, was not mentioned even once in his speech.
Cho Kuk stated, "(The current real estate market) is a hotbed of the selfishness of multiple homeowners, the greed of speculators, the vote-gathering strategies of political parties and lawmakers, and the conflicting interests of private companies," pledging to do everything possible to guarantee the right to housing.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
