Park Sangwoong Elected as Leader of People Power Party's First-Term Lawmakers: "Diverse Views, But Committed to Communication and Unity"

No Position on Han Donghoon Bulletin Board Investigation
"First-term Lawmakers' Gathering Is for Camaraderie, Not Politics"
"Agreed to Hold a Separate Meeting for Open Discussion on Current Issues"

On December 16, first-term lawmakers of the People Power Party held a meeting and elected Sangwoong Park as their next chairman. Although it was initially expected that the meeting would address internal party issues such as the recent party member bulletin board incident involving former leader Han Donghoon, Park stated, "This was not a gathering where factional conflicts or various dissenting voices were expressed at all."

Sangwoong Park, Member of the People Power Party

After the meeting of first-term lawmakers held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building that morning, Park met with reporters and said, "Today, I was newly elected as the chairman of the People Power Party's first-term lawmakers' group. While first-term lawmakers have diverse views, we agreed to always communicate and unite so that we can contribute to the party's development and ensure that the public is not disappointed."

Park explained, "This gathering is more about camaraderie and communication than a political organization," and added, "It is not a group with a political agenda or one that tries to steer lawmakers in a particular direction."

Regarding the content of the day's discussions, Park said, "If we were to discuss current issues, it would take a lot of time and might lead to misunderstandings outside the group. Therefore, we agreed to set a separate date soon to have an open and honest discussion about tasks both inside and outside the party."

When asked whether any lawmakers made individual remarks during the meeting, Park replied, "There were some," but added, "However, everyone agreed that there was no reason to make these comments public."

Park also noted that there was no discussion regarding the recent hardline stance of the leadership under Jang Donghyuk or the party affairs investigation into the incident involving former leader Han's family and the party member bulletin board.

There are 42 first-term lawmakers in the People Power Party, accounting for the largest proportion among the party's total of 107 members. Many lawmakers affiliated with the pro-Han Donghoon faction are also included.

Kim Daesik, the previous head of this group, met with reporters before the meeting and said, "Our party should not be one that fights against someone, but one that moves forward for the people," adding, "Both the voices emphasizing unity and the calls for innovation stem from a sincere desire to save our party."

Kim stressed, "Innovation without unity can easily lead to division. Both are necessary for our party, just like the question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg."

He also said, "Suppression against the People Power Party continues both inside and outside the National Assembly. I do not deny that, as the opposition, we must fight in the face of biased investigations by the three special prosecutors and legislative overreach in the National Assembly." However, he pointed out, "It is also clear that we cannot win the hearts of the people through struggle alone."

Kim added, "While strong fighters are needed, with local elections just six months away, this is a time when strategies and planning to read the public sentiment and show the way forward are even more necessary."