Do Jong-hwan "Hypocrisy... I will get out of it" vs No Woong-rae "Turning a blind eye"

No Woong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee during the audit of the Central Environmental Dispute Mediation Committee and the National Institute of Environmental Research on October 14 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Following the crushing defeat in the April 7 by-elections, the Democratic Party of Korea, which has entered an emergency response committee system, decided to appoint Representative Do Jong-hwan as the chairman of the emergency committee. On the 9th, Representative Roh Woong-rae directly criticized this decision, asking, "Can there be any sincerity in reform?"

On the same day, Representative Roh appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' in the morning and criticized, "At a time when we must reform standing at the edge of a cliff, appointing a representative of a specific faction within the party as the face of reform will be a superficial act of covering up and deceiving."

Regarding this election, Representative Roh said, "It was an election to choose local caretakers, but the frame of judging the administration and that slogan worked. It was an election result that made us realize how fearful public sentiment is ? it can both stabilize a ship and overturn it in an instant. It seems there was a grassroots public sentiment that wanted to give the Democratic Party a wake-up call."

On the Democratic Party's resolution for a total resignation, he questioned, "In a situation where we are supposed to reform and renew, if even the selection of the emergency committee chairman is done not from the public's perspective but from the viewpoint of a specific faction within our party, can there be any sincerity in reform?"

Representative Roh added, "People might think, 'Are these people still treating the public as fools or idiots?' Progressives now need to move beyond just raising their voices and hands; they must adopt a pragmatic and realistic progressivism to open an era of 20 years in power."

Regarding the opinions about postponing the presidential election scheduled for next September, he stated, "Our party has always changed the rules before elections, which led to division, conflict, and party splits. Now, we must become a system-based party, and that is the right path."

Do Jong-hwan, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is reviewing materials at the first Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Chairman Do presided over the first emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly on the same day and expressed his initial stance, saying, "We will quickly escape from the quagmire of double standards."

Regarding the cause of the election defeat, Chairman Do said, "It is neither anyone's fault nor anything else. All responsibility lies solely with us. We understand well that anger and criticism may not end here. Please continue to reprimand us." He added, "We will reflect and introspect until the public's hearts are eased. We will broaden the scope of communication and listening. Change and reform will be carefully and meticulously selected and accelerated."

Chairman Do said, "We quickly formed the emergency committee to listen to public sentiment and reform as soon as possible. The emergency committee will not make excuses or argue in front of public sentiment. We will start again by communicating and listening to the people." He also added, "We will activate all online and offline party communication channels to hear the public sentiment that has not yet been conveyed."

Earlier, on the 8th, the party leadership, including Acting Party Leader Kim Tae-nyeon, resigned en masse, taking responsibility for the crushing defeat in the April 7 by-elections. Following Kim's early resignation, the floor leader election has been moved up to the 16th. The party convention to elect new leadership, originally scheduled for the 9th of next month, will now be held on the 2nd.

Additionally, until the new floor leader is elected on the 16th, three-term Representative Do Jong-hwan will serve as the emergency committee chairman. After the party convention on the 9th of next month elects a new party leader, the new floor leader will take over as emergency committee chairman and lead the party.

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