The third class of the Realmeter politics school "Republic of Korea leadership politics and economy academy" will open at 7 p.m. on the 8th in Seminar Room 1 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building.
The faculty lineup for this third academy numbers 17 in total, including Kim Young-bae, Kim Han-kyu, Kim Hee-jeong, Park Sang-hun, Seo Young-kyo, Seong Nak-in, Yeom Tae-young, Yoon Sang-hyun, Yoon Yeo-joon, Lee Byung-seok, Lee Jun-seok, Lee Taek-su, Jang Dong-hyeok, Cho Kuk, Joo Ho-young, Choi Hyeong-du, Choo Mi-ae, and Hong Jang-won (in alphabetical order in Korean), with party leaders from multiple parties, current and former deputy speakers of the National Assembly, a former Seoul National University president, a former National Intelligence Service (NIS) vice administrator, a former National Assembly Futures Institutee, and candidates for heads of metropolitan governments taking part directly.
With a faculty that cuts across the ruling and opposition parties, all three party leaders of the Reform Party, People Power Party, and Rebuilding Korea Party have been named to the lineup. A politics school official said, "In a situation facing an election, this will be a venue to hear strategies and visions directly from each party leader and to compare and contrast them."
Issue makers such as current National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young, Rep. Choo Mi-ae, who has thrown her hat in the ring for Gyeonggi governor, and Hong Jang-won, former National Intelligence Service (NIS) vice administrator and a key figure in stopping martial law, will also join the faculty. More than 200 people registered in advance as auditors for Hong Jang-won's lecture.
Principal Yoon Yeo-joon, who served as environment minister in President Kim Young-sam's administration and as chief co-chair of President Lee Jae-myung's campaign in the last presidential election, said, "We plan to support first-term graduates so they can achieve good results in this local election," and added, "We cheer on students who bravely jump into politics."
Lee Taek-su, head of Realmeter, said, "This is an opportunity to interpret and share a real election together and a forum to feel how real politics differs from image politics through the politics school," adding, "We will do our best to build the ability to read between the lines of polling figures together in the real context of an election."