Lee Hae-chan, on Criticism of 'Monopoly and Closed-mindedness': "We Have Accepted All Constructive Criticism"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, recently commented on the reversal of approval ratings with the United Future Party, saying, "Party approval ratings go up and down. (Within a range of fluctuation)." Regarding recent criticisms that the Democratic Party is not accepting internal criticism well, he emphasized, "We accept all healthy criticism within the party."

On the afternoon of the 28th, during a farewell press conference held through the Democratic Party's YouTube channel 'Sseum TV,' Lee was asked, "What do you think about the recent drop in approval ratings?" He replied, "Party approval ratings go up and down. I think we should not be overly affected by it."

He added, "Our party's approval rating fluctuates between 35% and 43%. Looking at today's public opinion poll, we came out slightly above 40%." He continued, "There was one time when we were behind the United Future Party, but I think we just need to analyze why we were behind and respond well."

Regarding the question about the loss of support among people in their 20s and 30s due to the recent Incheon International Airport incident and real estate issues, he stated, "Regarding real estate, it should be viewed as a housing policy, not an investment policy. I think we should focus on housing measures that allow people without homes to live with peace of mind," expressing the position that existing real estate policies should be maintained.

He also emphasized, "If the legislation related to real estate policy had been properly handled in the 20th National Assembly, the current real estate policy could have been much more stable. That is why there has been turbulence in the real estate market."

He added, "Real estate issues are difficult for any administration. It is said that there is as much as 1,500 to 2,000 trillion won in liquidity circulating in the market, but this large amount of liquidity is not going into industry or productive sectors, which causes difficulties." He continued, "I understand that people are very worried because house prices have risen a lot recently, but I don't think the current situation can be easily resolved."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked about criticisms that "the Democratic Party is focusing only on reflecting the voices of its hardcore supporters and not accepting healthy criticism within the party," he firmly stated, "The Democratic Party does not only represent hardcore supporters." Lee said, "If you look at the Supreme Council meetings, various (critical) opinions have come out, haven't they? Minority opinions have also been reported in the media. There has been no artificial control. We accept all healthy criticism within the party."

Regarding criticism about the passage of follow-up legislation related to real estate policy and the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials without opposition party participation, he rebutted, "These three laws should have been finalized during the 20th National Assembly. They were just processed late, but there was no procedural overreach."

When asked about the criticism that the ruling party is running roughshod during the legislative process, he said, "Dialogue and debate are important, but public matters must be handled as public matters. Some matters have deadlines, so while sufficient discussion is necessary, we must be able to bring things to a close."

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