Kim Jong-in "Joo Ho-young will come up after the weekend... Will also decide on participation in the original organization"

Speaker Park Byeong-seok Cancels Plenary Session, Saying "Seems to Think Time Needed for Ruling and Opposition Negotiations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, said on the 19th, "After the weekend, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader, will return to the National Assembly," adding, "Whether he will participate in the organization of the National Assembly can also be decided then."

Chairman Kim made these remarks during a meeting with first-term lawmakers of the United Future Party at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in the morning, asking them to "be patient."

Kim's statement is interpreted to mean that if Floor Leader Joo returns to party affairs, there is a possibility that the ruling and opposition parties will resume negotiations on the organization of the National Assembly. Regarding the cancellation of the scheduled plenary session for the additional election of standing committee chairs by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok, he said, "I was notified 40 minutes before the announcement," and added, "I think some time was needed for (ruling and opposition) negotiations to proceed smoothly."

Addressing the first-term lawmakers, Kim said, "You came to the National Assembly with hope after the election, but I think your feelings are not simple. You must also be anxious about when the opening of the National Assembly will take place," and added, "If you break away from conventional thinking and adopt a new perspective, I believe the (organization of the National Assembly) negotiations will not be difficult to resolve."

At the meeting, he urged, "Let us not be trapped in past traditional concepts to transform the United Future Party." Kim emphasized, "As I have been stressing recently, shouldn't the foundation of the United Future Party be standing with the weak and walking alongside them? When the party transforms into one that stands with and leads the weak, its future scope of action can expand."

Seemingly aware of concerns within the party that these consecutive remarks might mean abandoning conservative values, he said, "No one in the Republic of Korea denies that the United Future Party is a conservative party. However, the problem lies in the perception that conservatism itself protects vested interests," and requested a flexible change in perception, saying, "It is meaningless to say our orientation is rational conservatism or traditional conservatism. The value we must protect is liberal democracy."

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