Sim Jae-cheol: "Willing to Accept the People's Scolding... Will Devote to Party Reform Comparable to Reestablishment"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Shim Jae-cheol, Acting President of the United Future Party, stated on the 17th, "We will accept the public's reprimand graciously and take this as an opportunity to set the party straight," adding, "We will devote ourselves to party reform efforts comparable to reestablishing the party."

Appearing two days after the April 15 general election, Acting President Shim held a disbandment ceremony for the Central Election Committee at the National Assembly that morning and made these remarks. Following the resignation of Hwang Kyo-ahn, the party leader who took responsibility for the election defeat, the United Future Party automatically shifted to an acting floor leader system according to party rules.

Acting President Shim said, "The results of this general election are devastating. As a member of the leadership, I deeply feel responsible," adding, "We failed to present an image of a competent alternative party, lacked innovation, and the conservative grand unification was insufficient."

He pledged, "We will accept the reprimand graciously. We will humbly accept the will of the people expressed through their votes and carefully examine and reexamine our shortcomings," emphasizing, "We will take this as an opportunity to set the party straight." He further stressed, "We will also firmly complete the unfinished structural reforms. We will devote ourselves to party reform efforts comparable to reestablishing the party."

Acting President Shim continued, "We will also show progress in resolving immediate tasks. In particular, we will gather wisdom to overcome the economic crisis that will follow the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)," adding, "We will renew everything to become a party that matches the new changes and meets the expectations of the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.