Sung Il-jong: "Four-term limit for lawmakers will cause noise whether ruling or opposition... Should be viewed progressively"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Seong Il-jong, a member of the Emergency Response Committee of the United Future Party, stated on the 14th regarding the discussion on limiting members of the National Assembly to four consecutive terms, "It means institutionally preventing the entrenchment of vested interests in politics," adding, "There is no consensus within the party, and I understand it will be contentious even within the ruling party, but it is an issue that should be approached progressively."

Through KBS Radio on the same day, Representative Seong said, "It is about presenting a broad framework, and there will be many (implementation) methods, so many discussions will arise."

The previous day, the party's Special Committee on Party Platform and Policy Revision unveiled the 'Top 10 Policies,' which included the promotion of legislation to limit members to four consecutive terms. Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has already proposed a bill with the same content.

Representative Seong conveyed the atmosphere, saying, "(Within the party) some three-term members did not speak, but there were also those who expressed dissatisfaction."

The party platform and policy will be finalized after going through the general assembly and the national committee. Regarding the possibility of amendments during this process, Representative Seong said, "Which logic will prevail probably needs to be debated," adding, "Many opinions will be gathered, but I believe my view aligns with the broad direction."

The party's special committee included basic income as the first of the 'Top 10 Policies.' Considering it is an agenda of the progressive camp and that selective welfare was advocated in the past, this move is regarded as groundbreaking. In response, Representative Seong explained, "Rather than being an agenda of the progressive camp, it is about preparing for job losses due to the rapid changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," adding, "Since an era will come when certain companies or specific people occupy income, we need to prepare in advance, and the party proactively taking the lead to devise measures is why the concept of basic income was included."

Representative Seong has already proposed a bill to create a presidential commission to consider budgets and organization in preparation for this.

However, some suspect that basic income is also for presidential election purposes. This is because in 2012, economic democratization was included in the party platform but was effectively deleted and forgotten after the presidential election. Regarding this, Representative Seong emphasized, "I think we must admit that we were unable to lead and act proactively," adding, "But future changes are inevitable, and as a political agenda, we will push forward more strongly and proactively."

Regarding the party's approval rating surpassing that of the Democratic Party of Korea for the first time since former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, he evaluated, "It reflects the public's disappointment with the ruling power."

Representative Seong said, "Above all, the ruling party's political slogans like 'People First, a Country Worthy of a Nation, Opportunity and Equality, Fairness and Justice' were hollow. The public saw a series of incidents and felt great disappointment," adding, "The public's support plummeted as they experienced policy failures such as the nuclear phase-out, income-led growth, and real estate."

Regarding the criticism that the United Future Party did not perform well but rather benefited from a reflexive gain, he said, "I humbly accept that comment," adding, "I promise to work even harder."

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