The leadership of the People Power Party criticized Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party, on the 20th for his recent 'rightward shift' and his statement that 'the Democratic Party is a moderate conservative party,' calling it a 'contradiction' and stating it is 'plagiarizing conservative policies.' They also noted that if they claim to be a moderate conservative party, they should first sever ties with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

On the 20th, People Power Party's Kwon Young-se, the emergency committee chairman (second from the left), is speaking at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader, said, 'On the 18th, Democratic Party representative Lee Jae-myung stated that the Democratic Party is a moderate conservative party and must take over the right side of Korean society.' He added, 'He used to call the U.S. military an "occupying army" and speak of "dismantling the chaebol system," while the party's mainstream has a history of anti-establishment movements during the activist era. Yet now they are talking about the right side,' criticizing it as 'contradiction.'

He remarked that 'whether one is 'conservative or not' should be evaluated based on accumulated actions and words, not decided by a single statement,' adding, 'That is to be assessed by the public, not something for one to evaluate themselves.'

He pointed out that 'Recently, the Democratic Party has introduced policies related to a semiconductor special law, inheritance tax reduction, and pension reform in the media, all of which the People Power Party has strongly pursued as a conservative party advocating liberal democracy and market economics.'

The floor leader pointed out, 'The Democratic Party is merely copying the shell of our policies,' stating, 'In the semiconductor special law, they omitted the exception clause for the 52-hour workweek. In inheritance tax, they omitted adjustments to the tax rate. In pension reform, they omitted structural reforms. The Democratic Party's plagiarism of conservative policies is nothing more than a soulless "C-grade knockoff."'

He retaliated against Lee's comments calling the People Power Party a 'criminal party,' saying, 'Representative Lee has a criminal record with four convictions.' The floor leader noted, 'Representative Lee is currently facing trials in five courts for 12 charges across eight incidents. Yet he appeared on MBC's 'Debate Show' yesterday and insisted, 'What exactly did I do wrong?' He questioned, 'With what right does he talk about a criminal party?'

Chairperson Kwon Young-se noted the 'Korean Confederation of Trade Unions spy case,' criticizing that the Democratic Party should first sever ties with these individuals.

The chairperson stated, 'It has been confirmed that the prosecution caught a former official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions possessing over 4,000 pages of propaganda supporting Kim Il-sung and referred the case to court last month. It is said that these individuals are accomplices of a former Korean Confederation of Trade Unions official who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the first trial last November.' He added, 'There are a few spies within the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions trying to destroy our labor market and, further, undermine the Republic of Korea.'

He argued, 'Despite this, the Democratic Party is only eager to appease the extreme forces of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions,' stating, 'Even the inclusion of the exception clause for the 52-hour workweek in the semiconductor special law is a result of the Democratic Party siding with the wishes of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions while ignoring the future of the Republic of Korea.'

The chairperson remarked, 'At this point, it is appropriate to change the Democratic Party's nameplate to 'Korean Confederation of Trade Unions National Assembly Branch.' No matter how much Representative Lee Jae-myung talks about growth and takes a pro-business stance, the Democratic Party's shouts of being moderate conservatives are meaningless; under these circumstances, which citizen would trust Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party?'

He stated, 'If the Democratic Party genuinely wishes to work for the people and the country, it must first cut ties with the cowardly alliance being dragged along by the extreme espionage forces of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.'

Shin Dong-wook, the senior spokesperson, met with reporters after the meeting, stating, 'China's changes are quick and can instantly alter appearances. While entertaining, it may be difficult for the public to accept if national policies or the leading party plays ideological games. There were several concerns expressed about this during the (closed) meeting.'

He criticized the Democratic Party, stating, 'They must explain why they have so fervently blocked bills related to inheritance tax law, real estate law, which have been closer to conservative policies in the past.' He emphasized, 'That is the minimum duty of a public party to the citizens.'


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