Hong Young-pyo: "Lee Jae-myung running for Gyeyang-eul because the Democratic Party wanted? ... Lies"

Among Incheon City Party members, only 4 support while the rest oppose
Tax cuts and floor area ratio increase as real estate measures... Need to clarify if it aligns with Democratic Party identity
Democratic Party must compete on policies through the party convention

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Hong Young-pyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the claim that Lee Jae-myung is running for the Incheon Gyeyang-eul district "because the party wants him to," calling it a "lie" on the 8th.

On the same day, Hong made these remarks during a Q&A session about Lee's potential candidacy for the next party leader on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus." When asked by the host whether he opposed Lee running for party leader, he said, "Whether Lee runs or not is a decision he makes as an individual politician based on his own judgment," but added, "The evaluation of this presidential or local election is important, and it depends on how much responsibility he feels. Saying that I ran because the party wanted me to is a lie."

When asked why he was so certain it was a lie, he explained, "There were people who opposed Lee's candidacy for the by-election in Gyeyang-eul," adding, "Because it was during the election, they just couldn't express it publicly." Hong said, "There are 10 members of the National Assembly in our Incheon City Party, but since former member Song Young-gil left for Seoul (to run for Seoul mayor), I suggested issuing a statement that Lee should come to Incheon, but only four agreed," and "the rest opposed it."

Hong said, "This is just one example, but as far as I know, 70 to 80 percent of the party opposed it. Claims like 'I ran because the party wanted me to' need to be clarified." He continued, "As far as I know, the idea that the party wanted me to sacrifice myself and run is a lie."

Regarding policy stances such as real estate, Hong expressed the need for policy responses that align with the Democratic Party's identity, and said that competition over policy directions should take place through the party convention. He said, "We failed on the real estate issue, but we need to look at it carefully," adding, "Because of a misjudgment, the Democratic Party ended up competing with the People Power Party to cut taxes. During the Seoul mayoral election, there was a pledge to raise the floor area ratio to 500%, but we need to consider whether these things align with the Democratic Party's identity."

He added, "The Democratic Party talks about people's livelihoods, but the core is how to resolve economic inequality and polarization. At the party convention, candidates should compete with new visions, and through that process, the Democratic Party's identity, values, policy directions, and pledges will be established."

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