Ruling Party Raises Criticism Level of 'Mega Seoul' by Democratic Party

"No Intention to Be Played by the Ruling Party"
Ruling Party's Claim to Incorporate Gimpo into Seoul Lacks Feasibility
Resolve Traffic Issues First... Address the 'Line 5 Extension' Problem First

The Democratic Party of Korea raised the level of criticism on the 2nd against the ruling party's push to incorporate some parts of the Seoul metropolitan area, including Gimpo, into Seoul, calling it 'hasty.' Emphasizing the impracticality by mentioning the involvement theory of 'Cheongong,' the Democratic Party is shifting the focus by stressing 'livelihood economy.' This is interpreted as a sign that they do not intend to fall into the issue black hole created by the ruling party.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a 'Livelihood Economy Press Conference' held at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 2nd, after holding a 'Livelihood Economy Press Conference' at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Jae-myung responded to reporters' questions, saying, "It is problematic to manage state affairs by carelessly throwing out a major national task and then quietly pretending not to know when resistance is not easy." When asked about the ruling People Power Party's party-line push for the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul, he replied, "The state affairs of the Republic of Korea, on which the fate of over 50 million people depends, must be truly serious, cautious, and solemn." Although he did not directly mention the related issue, it was a roundabout criticism.

On the same day, Floor Leader Hong Ik-pyo also emphasized at the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly that "rather than the impractical and hasty plan to incorporate Gimpo into Seoul, the real difficulty for Gimpo residents is the transportation problem," urging a prompt resolution of the subway Line 5 extension issue.

Floor Leader Hong criticized, "People commuting from Gimpo to Seoul are having difficulties. Yet, the government did not present any position related to the extension of Line 5 in this budget proposal." He added, "If the exemption from the preliminary feasibility study and the confirmation of the extension related to Line 5 are to be included in this budget, the Democratic Party will support it," and said, "The Democratic Party will cooperate on the preliminary feasibility study and extension issues to urgently address the Line 5 extension problem, which is causing real suffering, rather than discussing an impractical administrative district reorganization for Gimpo residents." The Line 5 extension is a new line project connecting Seoul Banghwa Station, Incheon Geomdan New Town, and Gimpo Hangang New Town, but the project has been delayed due to a standoff between Incheon City and Gimpo City over the station stops.

After the meeting, Chief Spokesperson Choi Hye-young told reporters, "The People Power Party says they will propose (Gimpo incorporation) as a member's bill, but if so, they must listen to citizens' opinions and consult with local governments first," adding, "Skipping all that and legislating is nonsense. Issues without practicality are not worth responding to." She also said, "We have no intention of being played by the ruling party," and "Since we have no intention to discuss Gimpo incorporation now, whether to support or oppose it is not important."

It appears that instead of spending time responding to the impractical pros and cons of Gimpo's incorporation into Seoul, the party intends to focus on resolving the immediate 'transportation problem' to target local public sentiment.

Chief Spokesperson Choi said, "Isn't transportation the most important thing for Gimpo?" and urged, "(The government and ruling party) should bring practical and realistic alternatives. That is truly for the citizens of Gimpo." She pointed out, "The thing Gimpo citizens want most is the Line 5 extension project related to transportation, and if that is not accepted, the incorporation of Gimpo into Seoul is a disingenuous election ploy."

Park Jumin, the Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Democratic Party clearly stated that it will not be dragged into the ruling party's 'Mega Seoul' issue proposing the incorporation of metropolitan areas adjacent to Seoul, such as Gimpo, into Seoul, and said it will focus on preparing practical measures to restore the 'livelihood economy,' differentiating itself from the government and ruling party policies.

At the livelihood economy press conference held that day, Representative Lee said, "We will pursue achieving a 3% growth rate for the recovery of the livelihood economy." He criticized, "The people are desperately asking to 'revive the economy,' but the Yoon Seok-yeol government says 'sound fiscal management is important,'" and added, "I cannot understand how the government can be so indifferent to the pain of households and businesses to this extent, or be ignorant of basic economic logic." He emphasized, "If policy priorities are adjusted and all measures to overcome the crisis are mobilized, achieving a 3% growth rate recovery is entirely possible," and said, "The government must take the lead."

This press conference by Representative Lee was the first since he launched an indefinite fasting protest criticizing the Yoon administration's failures last August. The direct criticism of the government's economic policy direction at his first official press conference after returning to party affairs appears to be an effort to strengthen the image of a 'competent party' through a 'livelihood drive.' The day before, he also attended the 'Democratic Economy Talk' forum reviewing the government's economic policies and criticized the Yoon administration, saying, "When the (economic) situation is difficult, it is the government's role to stimulate the economy, but it is going completely the opposite way." The Democratic Party is expected to take the lead in the recently launched budget negotiations and highlight the government's and ruling party's failures by presenting itself as a 'livelihood party' until next year's general election.

In a written briefing released by Chief Spokesperson Choi in the afternoon, the Democratic Party criticized, "While the Yoon government repeatedly calls for fiscal austerity, it increased the operating expenses of public prosecutors by 15 times," and said, "It forces ordinary people to tighten their belts, cuts the R&D budget crucial for the nation's future, and slashes welfare, education, and even local finances, yet claims it is fine." They added, "The public is more outraged by the Yoon government's shameless attitude than by the budget cuts," and criticized, "To gain public sympathy for fiscal austerity, the presidential office and the budget of investigative agencies that act as the president's personal guard must be drastically cut first."

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