The People Power Party emphasized that the newly elected Democratic Party of Korea leader Jeong Cheong-rae should respect the People Power Party as a partner in national governance.
Kwak Gyu-taek, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a statement shortly after Jeong was elected, "While I congratulate the new representative, it is also true that we are concerned about 'Jeong Cheong-rae's Democratic Party.'"
Kwak noted, "The representative is considered a prominent hardliner even within the Democratic Party, having demonstrated a tendency to suppress the People Power Party with a large number of seats while serving as the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee." He added, "During the party congress, he focused solely on targeting the 'opposition party bashing' aimed at the loyalty to President Lee Jae-myung and the strong support base."
He also said, "Recently, they attempted to annihilate the opposition party by proposing an unconstitutional bill that would allow for the dissolution of parties through a National Assembly vote under the pretext of 'ending civil strife.'" He further stated, "If the Democratic Party is not going to focus only on its strong support base, I hope it will stop 'opposition harassment' and 'struggle against opposition' and respect the People Power Party as a partner in national governance right now."
Kwak added, "If the Democratic Party focuses its efforts on preparing practical policies for national unity and resolving civilian livelihoods rather than political strife, the People Power Party will also endeavor to provide unconditional cooperation for the well-being and national interests of the people."
Earlier, the new representative emphasized that an apology and reflection on the 12·3 state of emergency is a priority for cooperation with the People Power Party. He will lead the party until the local elections next year.