Democratic Peace Party: "President Moon's New Year's Address Disappointing... Both Diagnosis and Prescription Inadequate"

"Moon Administration Must Show 'Reform and Polarization Resolution'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The Party for Democracy and Peace stated on the 7th that it was "regrettable that we expected a clear direction on reform, livelihood, and peace in President Moon Jae-in's 2020 New Year's address, but could not confirm it."

Park Joo-hyun, the chief spokesperson of the Party for Democracy and Peace, said in a commentary that "although the president emphasized inclusion, innovation, and fairness in his New Year's address, the content only presented ordinary industrial measures and existing welfare policies," adding, "the diagnosis and remedies for insufficient reform, worsening livelihood, and diplomatic failures were all inadequate."

He pointed out, "The Moon Jae-in administration, established based on the expectations of the Candlelight public sentiment, has the responsibility to show tangible results in reform and resolving polarization," but "reform has only been a facade through election system reform led by the National Assembly and opposition parties, and there have been no substantial achievements in inter-Korean relations and diplomacy."

He continued, "In particular, polarization and regional disparities are still worsening, and livelihoods are in ruin," adding, "With the soaring housing prices in Seoul, asset polarization has become severe, small business owners have fallen from the middle class to the lower class, young people have lost hope, and underdeveloped regions remain trapped in a vicious cycle of increasing regional disparities."

Chief spokesperson Park said, "We expected clear reform plans in the president's New Year's address, such as a proposal for a decentralized presidential system and a cooperative cabinet, resolving asset polarization, income polarization, and regional polarization, and strategies to strengthen the role in peace on the Korean Peninsula, but we could not confirm them," and added, "We hope to see them in the president's future actions."

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