Representative speech for the negotiating bloc at the National Assembly plenary session on the 4th
Proposal to discuss lowering the local election voting age to 16
Call for three major special counsels on the Daejang-dong case, the Unification Church, and nomination bribery
Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, proposed a one-on-one meeting with President Lee Jaemyung to discuss pressing livelihood and economic issues. The aim is to ease public concerns through direct talks between the president and the opposition leader at a time when anxiety is growing over the exchange rate, prices, and real estate policy.
On the 4th, in his representative speech for the negotiating bloc at the National Assembly plenary session, Jang said, "This is the golden time for the Lee Jaemyung administration," and added, "I once again request a one-on-one meeting with President Lee Jaemyung." Even though the party has been unsettled by the expulsion of former leader Han Donghoon and related turmoil, People Power Party lawmakers showed their support on this day by applauding Jang's remarks.
Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is delivering the negotiating bloc's representative speech at a plenary session of the National Assembly on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News
He said, "I will convey the people’s voices focusing on livelihood issues such as prices and exchange rate, which are major public concerns, the real estate problem in the Seoul metropolitan area, and U.S. trade pressure, and I will also explain our party’s alternatives." He went on to say, "We should also have a candid discussion on political issues such as the push for a special counsel investigation," calling for the introduction of the so-called "three major special counsels," including one on the decision to drop the appeal in the Daejang-dong case. In addition, he proposed lowering the voting age to 16 starting from the upcoming local elections.
Regarding the issue of U.S. tariff hikes, he pointed to the National Assembly’s excessive pressure targeting Coupang and the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act as the causes. Jang argued, "The government and the ruling party cited the delay in parliamentary ratification as the reason, but that is not the whole story," adding, "The Coupang situation has become a trigger for trade friction that goes beyond the problem of a single company."
He said, "The United States expressed concern that excessive sanctions on Coupang could lead to Chinese C-commerce encroaching on the Korean market," and argued, "The U.S. believes that the data and distribution sovereignty of its ally Korea could be transferred to China, and it perceives this as a serious infringement that runs counter to U.S. interests."
He continued, "We must also re-examine the president’s so-called 'pragmatic diplomacy,'" stressing, "Ultimately, our diplomacy must be grounded in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, and if the South Korea-U.S. alliance is shaken, we will also be placed at a disadvantage in South Korea-China relations."
On livelihood and economic issues such as real estate and the exchange rate, he criticized them as the outcome of "cash handout-style" populist policies. Jang said, "As excessively loosened money was combined with reckless real estate policies, housing costs have soared," and criticized, "People who briefly felt better thanks to consumption coupons are now suffering several times harsher pain due to skyrocketing prices."
He added, "What the government should do is not hand out cash, but take care of the basics such as prices, the exchange rate, and real estate, and move quickly to promote industrial innovation," calling for a postponement of the enforcement of the so-called Yellow Envelope Act and the preparation of alternatives for the Commercial Act and the Labor Standards Act.
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