The Young and the Floor Leader Both Head to Gwangju... United Party Distances Itself from the Far Right

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Joo Ho-young, the new floor leader of the United Future Party, is visiting Gwangju to attend the May 18 Democratic Movement commemoration ceremony. It appears that not only the party's Youth Emergency Committee but also the leadership are visiting Gwangju together to break away from the 'far-right' image that led to the election defeat. Since last year, when former leader Hwang Kyo-ahn and former floor leader Na Kyung-won were doused with water and faced other humiliations, the challenge is to show sincerity rather than a 'showy' gesture.

Kim Seong-won, the United Future Party's senior deputy floor leader, told reporters on the 12th, "Train tickets for Floor Leader Joo, and floor spokespersons Choi Hyung-doo and Bae Hyun-jin have been booked," adding, "We will discuss what to do once Floor Leader Joo returns." If the attendance at the commemoration ceremony at the floor leader level is confirmed, it will be the first time that Floor Leader Joo, whose constituency is Suseong-gap in Daegu, visits the Honam region.

The call to visit Gwangju came first from the party's youth members. Cheon Ha-ram, Kim Jae-seop, and Jo Sung-eun, key members of the United Future Party Youth Emergency Committee, are considering not only attending the May 18 ceremony but also visiting related organizations to apologize for the party's offensive remarks related to May 18. There are also United Future Party figures, such as elected member Kim Woong, who plan to attend personally.

The reason the United Future Party is visiting Honam is seen as an effort to shed the 'far-right' and 'reckless remarks' image, which was cited as one of the causes of the recent general election defeat. In the April 15 general election, the party fielded candidates in only 12 out of 28 Honam constituencies, leading to accusations of neglect. Additionally, controversy arose when party candidate Joo Dong-sik made a disparaging remark, saying, "Gwangju is a city obsessed with the May 18 memorial rites."

However, if sincerity is not demonstrated, it may only provoke resentment. Last year, former leader Hwang and former floor leader Na were doused with water by some citizens and members of memorial groups during the May 18 ceremony. There were no disciplinary actions against Korean Party lawmakers for their offensive remarks about May 18, and former leader Hwang ignored the situation by saying, "The regime is heading toward dictatorship," instead of apologizing. One youth emergency committee member also said, "When news of participation in the May 18 event spread, I received protest calls asking, 'What right do you have to come and apologize?'" How the leadership will show sincerity through apologies and prevention of recurrence is a matter of interest.

Since the election defeat, the United Future Party has been distancing itself from the 'far-right.' It has not officially responded to the 'election manipulation theory' raised mainly by conservative YouTubers like 'Garo Sero Research Institute' and party members who lost their seats, maintaining a clear boundary. Regarding media reports about forming a party-level 'special committee on early voting manipulation suspicions,' the party stated, "This is completely untrue." On the 15th, United Future Party lawmaker Oh Shin-hwan will host a discussion inviting Jin Joong-kwon, a progressive former professor at Dongyang University, to discuss conservative innovation.

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