Jang Donghyuk: "Luncheon After Passing Evil Laws? Like Serving Rice Made of Sand... Will Boycott Plenary Session"

People Power Party Boycotts Both Luncheon and Plenary Session

On the 12th, People Power Party leader Jang Donghyuk explained his decision not to attend the luncheon meeting between President Lee Jaemyung and the ruling and opposition party leaders, saying, "After scheduling the luncheon, they pushed through evil laws such as the Constitutional Appeal Act and then asked the leader of the main opposition party to have lunch with them. This is like serving rice cooked with grains of sand," adding, "They say they want to discuss people’s livelihoods, but I cannot go into the presidential office to eat rice cooked with sand."

Yonhap News Agency

Holding a press briefing at the National Assembly that morning, Jang said of the background to his decision not to attend the luncheon with the president and the ruling and opposition party leaders, "I cannot respond to a situation where a knife is hidden behind one hand while the other hand is extended for a handshake," and added, "No matter how I look at it, today’s luncheon seems more appropriate as a meeting between President Lee and Democratic Party leader Jung Cheongrae."

He said, "I received the luncheon proposal yesterday morning. There were aspects that were not appropriate in terms of timing, format, and agenda, but I immediately expressed my willingness to accept it because I agreed with the idea of jointly discussing people’s livelihoods ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays," and pointed out, "However, afterward, the Democratic Party unilaterally passed the Constitutional Appeal Act and the bill to increase the number of Supreme Court justices at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee." He went on, "Chief Justice Cho Heedae also expressed concern that this is a serious issue that could cause enormous harm to the public," and criticized, "The Lunar New Year gift that leader Jung prepared for President Lee has become a disaster for the people."

Jang also said, "Whenever a meeting with the president is scheduled, outrageous acts such as unilateral legislative steamrolling right before or right after the meeting have been repeatedly occurring. When something repeats year after year, it becomes inevitable," adding, "If the presidential office was unaware of this in advance, it means the ruling party is putting the president in a difficult position. If they went ahead knowing this, it means they have no intention of cooperative governance."

He specifically targeted the Democratic Party, saying, "On grave matters such as legislation, the president, the ruling party, and the National Assembly must engage in sufficient consultation," and added, "Continuing such unilateral handling while talking about cooperative governance is logically inconsistent."

Jang also plans to suspend dialogue with the ruling party, including by not attending the National Assembly plenary session scheduled for this afternoon. He said, "I discussed this issue with Floor Leader Song Eonseok, and he holds the same position," adding, "It seems likely that the People Power Party will not attend today’s plenary session."

Meanwhile, regarding Democratic Party leader Jung’s criticism that the decision not to attend the luncheon was "discourteous behavior," Jang countered, "It is precisely the act of summoning the opposition leader and then forcing through unilateral legislation that is discourteous to the public and the opposition," and argued, "A meeting under such circumstances is nothing more than a formal encounter, not cooperative governance." He added, "The accumulating pattern of unilateral rule will ultimately lead to a disconnect with public sentiment," and said, "If the government and the ruling party truly want to prioritize people’s livelihoods and cooperative governance, they must first demonstrate an attitude of respecting the National Assembly."