Lee Nak-yeon Raises Voice... Forms In-Party Issue Response Team

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has begun to voice his opinions actively on various current issues. He has also decided to form an 'Issue Response Organization' to manage sensitive party-related issues that could influence public opinion. It is observed that he is taking charge of the situation while strengthening his position as party leader and considering his status as a leading presidential candidate for the next election.

According to the Democratic Party on the 15th, Lee recently ordered the formation of an issue response organization directly under the party leader. This decision was based on the judgment that there is a need to actively respond to controversial party-related issues. Shin Young-dae, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said, "It is true that there was a gap in issue response since Lee took office not long ago," adding, "At the spokesperson meeting, a consensus was formed that a more active response is necessary."

The issue response team is expected to handle statements on sensitive internal party issues and organize differing opinions within the party. After Lee took office, there was a heated debate within the Democratic Party over selective disaster relief payments. Additionally, dissatisfaction arose within the party that the leadership had not taken a clear stance on issues such as the allegations of preferential military service for the son of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and the Eastar Jet incident. On the party members' bulletin board, posts appeared accusing Lee of "acting like a presidential candidate already." There was also a call for him to show a clear presence during his remaining six-month term until March next year.

On the previous day, Lee expressed his position for the first time on Minister Choo, and Democratic Party lawmakers Lee Sang-jik and Kim Hong-gul, about whom he had remained silent. Regarding Minister Choo, he defended her by saying, "The truth should be uncovered through the prosecution's investigation. We will block the opposition party's political attacks." On the other hand, he stated that "if there are problems, responsibility will be held" concerning the two lawmakers. Especially regarding the Eastar Jet incident, he directly named Lee Sang-jik, saying, "As the founder and a member of the National Assembly, I hope Lee takes responsible measures that the public and company employees can accept," issuing a warning. Although he did not mention Kim Hong-gul by name, who is suspected of asset omission, he said, "Among lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, discrepancies between assets declared during the general election and current assets have been revealed. The party will respond to the Central Election Commission's measures."

Lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang of the Democratic Party, who was indicted by the prosecution on charges including violation of the Subsidy Management Act and fraud, and the ruling and opposition negotiations related to the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) are also identified as issues requiring proactive response. However, a Democratic Party official said, "No leadership-level meeting has been convened yet regarding Lawmaker Yoon."

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