Hong Ik-pyo: "Is Kim Ki-hyun's resignation an innovation just because Yoon said so?"

Hong Ik-pyo on Yeo Kim Ki-hyun and Jang Je-won's Resignation: "Anti-Reform"
"Will Follow the Time of Innovation... Don't Worry About the Democratic Party"

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, reacted against the interpretation of the ruling party's moves, such as the resignation of Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, as 'personnel reform,' and retorted, "Is it innovation for the ruling party leader to step down at the president's word?"

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th, Floor Leader Hong stated, "Is the resignation of the People Power Party leader and the withdrawal of lawmaker Jang Je-won from the election innovation?" and added, "It is a regression of party democracy and anti-reform." He then sharply criticized, "The simultaneous declaration of non-candidacy and retreat to the second line by the party leader and influential senior figures just because they fell out with the presidential office is a scene commonly seen during the Park Chung-hee regime."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Floor Leader Hong said, "Since the party democratized and leaders have been directly elected by party members, there has been no resignation in this manner," and reiterated, "While it is often seen that leaders or leadership step down voluntarily after losing elections or when their support among party members declines, I have never seen a resignation like this."

Referring to related media reports, he countered, "They say this is innovation of the People Power Party and ask what the Democratic Party is doing, but our party cannot agree at all with the thoughts of such editorial writers." He added, "I wonder if such thinking remains stuck in the era of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan."

He continued, "If political reform that goes backward is called innovation, party democracy will regress," and said, "The Democratic Party will move according to its own time of innovation, so there is no need to worry about that."

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