Jang Donghyuk Says "Summit Meeting Is Necessary" in Response to Question... To Discuss Special Prosecutor Bill with Reform New Party Tomorrow

"We Need Open Discussions on Diplomatic and Economic Issues"

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, announced on the 12th that he is willing to propose a summit meeting with President Lee Jaemyung to discuss economic and diplomatic issues. Jang also stated that he will meet with Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, tomorrow to discuss cooperation on the special prosecutor bill.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 12th.

Appearing on KBS that day, Jang was asked whether he planned to propose a summit meeting to President Lee. He replied, "A summit meeting is necessary to have open discussions on issues such as diplomacy and the economy, and to properly convey voices from the field."

Jang criticized the government for "pushing ahead with the integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong, and Gwangju and South Jeolla, as if something will be done before the local elections," adding, "Simply reducing the number of governors and mayors elected from two to one will not solve the problem." He further explained, "There must be a significant transfer of authority from the central government, and true synergy must be achieved so that this can become a model case for addressing local extinction and the demographic cliff. For these issues, an open and honest summit meeting is needed to discuss solutions."

Regarding the disciplinary action by the ethics committee over the "party member bulletin board incident" involving the family of former leader Han Donghoon, Jang said, "While unity and solidarity are important, the issue of upholding the party's principles and discipline should be considered separately from unity and solidarity." He added, "Since the ethics committee exists to maintain the party's discipline and order, its decisions should be respected."

Addressing criticism that he did not clearly distance himself from former President Yoon Sukyeol during a recent press conference in which he apologized for the December 3 Martial Law, Jang said, "This is not a matter to be judged by whether a particular word was included or not," and added, "As we reform and lead the party, we must demonstrate change through actions and results." Regarding the adjustment of the party member opinion reflection ratio in the local election primary rules, he stated, "I hope the nomination management committee will establish the optimal rules."

Meanwhile, Jang will meet with Lee Junseok at the National Assembly around 8 a.m. tomorrow to discuss ways to cooperate on the special prosecutor bill. The two parties have agreed on the need for a special prosecutor bill to investigate allegations of the Unification Church's lobbying of politicians, as well as another special prosecutor bill to look into the nomination fund scandal involving former Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byungki and expelled lawmaker Kang Sunwoo.

This meeting was arranged after Lee Junseok proposed a joint meeting of the three opposition parties to discuss the special prosecutor bill to both Jang and Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, the previous day. Cho Kuk has expressed his refusal through a statement from his spokesperson's office. Regarding this, Jang commented, "It seems that Cho Kuk is taking a passive stance on this matter," and added, "At the very least, I will meet with Lee Junseok as soon as possible to discuss how to move forward on this issue."