Joo Ho-young "The President Only Says What He Wants... Disappointing"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, harshly criticized President Moon Jae-in's opening speech for the 21st National Assembly on the 16th, saying, "I had expected it, but the president only said what he wanted to say, and there was nothing that the people wanted to hear," calling it "very disappointing."

After the opening ceremony of the National Assembly on the same day, Floor Leader Joo told reporters, "There was no mention of the current issues that the public is particularly curious about."

He added, "We anticipated this and sent 10 questions," and stated, "We have already sent the content and officially met with Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, to demand answers." Senior Secretary Kang reportedly said, "We will answer the questions sincerely," but regarding the late Park Won-soon, former Seoul mayor's sexual harassment case, he explained, "Seoul City is not an issue for us to answer."

At the meeting following the opening speech between President Moon, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the leadership of both ruling and opposition parties, it was revealed that Joo said, "The president always emphasizes cooperation, but looking at the behavior of the Democratic Party of Korea, it seems like they want to rule autocratically, so it's confusing. Tell the Democratic Party not to talk about cooperation to us."

Senior Secretary Kang reportedly requested the early launch of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI). Floor Leader Joo emphasized, "We are claiming the unconstitutionality of the HOCI Act and are waiting for a ruling. We are preparing for various scenarios, but this does not mean a change in our position on the HOCI Act."

Regarding Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung receiving a Supreme Court ruling to overturn and remand the lower court's decision related to the 'forced hospitalization of his elder brother' with a not guilty implication, he said, "I will review the judgment more carefully before responding," adding, "Since the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and prosecution have been composed of many biased individuals under this administration, we need to examine whether the ruling was made to favor a specific faction. We will analyze it mainly with lawmakers who have legal backgrounds and then announce the party's official position."

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