"Democratic Party Reform to Start with Party Convention Money Envelope Scandal"…Kim Eun-kyung Innovation Committee Officially Launched (Comprehensive)

Kim Eun-kyung "Restore ethics to regain trust in the Democratic Party"
Lee Jae-myung "Will not fully accept discussions on the innovation body"

The Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (tentative name) officially launched on the 20th. Kim Eun-kyung, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party Innovation Committee, promised a "comprehensive reform." The committee decided to prioritize addressing the envelope bribery incident at the party convention.

At the first Innovation Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Chairwoman Kim pointed out, "There are not many people who consider the opposition party as an alternative, even though the government and ruling party are not responding properly," adding, "This is because the Democratic Party is failing to gain the trust of the people. There is no change or reflection, and the party is seen as a symbol of vested interests and double standards." She stated, "With a desperate determination that reform must start with the Democratic Party to set politics right, I accepted the difficult role of Innovation Committee Chairwoman," and emphasized, "The Democratic Party needs a comprehensive reform. It must become a party that offers hope and vision for the future of the people, not a symbol of vested political interests."

She added, "The Innovation Committee will pursue not a minor surgery but a full-scale innovation," and "We will diagnose the problems of the Democratic Party and initiate a fundamental transformation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairwoman Kim mentioned the envelope bribery incident at the party convention and the National Assembly members' cryptocurrency investment scandal, saying, "The Innovation Committee will propose concrete measures to restore ethics and make the Democratic Party a trusted party." She also stated, "We aim to propose not only ethical restoration but also political restoration." She said, "We will create an effective political system that improves people's lives and solves societal problems before the public suffers," adding, "The party must be inclusive and expansive, embracing even those who support opposing political forces, respecting party members, and faithfully reflecting public opinion."

After holding the first Innovation Committee meeting, she told reporters, "The foundational incidents that led to the formation of the Innovation Committee are the envelope bribery and cryptocurrency issues. The envelope bribery is a fundamental problem, while the cryptocurrency issue seems to be an individual deviation," and introduced, "We will discuss and address the cryptocurrency issue further, but we decided to tackle the envelope bribery issue first."

Regarding the envelope bribery incident at the party convention, she said, "There was a proposal to establish a fact-finding committee," and added, "I have doubts about whether it can do better than an investigation, but the fact-finding committee will examine why this problem occurred to prevent recurrence, review records of similar incidents, check whether the Democratic Party had a manual and whether it was properly implemented or neglected, and this will lead to institutional reform." She explained, "We will include any issues during the party convention process within the scope of the fact-finding investigation to identify the causes of the problem and develop reform measures accordingly."

Chairwoman Kim introduced, "We made it the first agenda to prioritize diagnosing corruption and misconduct cases involving lawmakers and party officials since 2020, and based on this, connect them to the envelope bribery incident to create institutional reform measures."

Regarding future tasks, she said, "We are not solely focused on the envelope bribery incident," and introduced, "If there are issues the public wants, we will put them on the table and make them agenda items." When asked if nomination rules could be addressed, she replied, "If there are parts necessary for overall reform and innovation, we will look into them, and if the public wants, we can consider them."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, promised to fully accept the proposals discussed by the Innovation Committee. Visiting to encourage the committee, Lee said, "In a democratic republic and democracy, political parties have significant roles and responsibilities. We regret that the Democratic Party is not sufficiently loved or recognized by our people. We reflect on this and aim to show a new path and a new image of the Democratic Party to our people," and promised, "The Democratic Party will fully accept the proposals discussed and finalized by this Innovation Committee and will work together and do our best to become a party loved by the people." Chairwoman Kim also said regarding the Innovation Committee's reform proposals, "I believe they should be binding," and added, "The leader made a responsible statement that he will actively accept the Innovation Committee's proposals. I will trust and follow him." She also expressed her intention to speak out actively, saying, "I will not hesitate to offer harsh criticism" concerning the leader.

Chairwoman Kim warned against internal party division and hate incitement in the future. She declared, "From now on, I will show no tolerance for any attempts or remarks that promote division and hate within the party or undermine the momentum for innovation." After the meeting, she explained to reporters about the strict stance on internal division and hate incitement, saying, "There are banners on the streets that make people frown," and added, "Starting from that, I will convey opinions regarding actions that promote party division or shake the Innovation Committee."

Meanwhile, Chairwoman Kim introduced the Innovation Committee members: lawyer Kim Nam-hee, LAB2050 CEO Yoon Hyung-jung, The Possible Research Institute CEO Seo Bok-kyung, Ajou University Graduate School of Law Professor Lee Jin-guk, KAIST Graduate School of Future Strategy Professor Cha Ji-ho, Democratic Party Deputy Secretary-General for Organization Lee Hae-sik, and Democratic Party Ulsan Metropolitan City Party Chairman Lee Seon-ho. Chairwoman Kim explained, "I asked the Democratic Party to send young people, including youth and women," and added, "We plan to invite more members."

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