Handonghun and Kim Jinpyo Prevented: "We Will Learn More About the Spirit of Dialogue and Compromise"

Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said on the morning of the 29th during a courtesy visit to National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, "I will learn more about the spirit of dialogue and compromise." Speaker Kim asked Chairman Han to cooperate so that the special law on the Itaewon disaster can be processed with bipartisan agreement.

Chairman Han said, "I have always respected Speaker Kim for his efforts to uphold dignity and the basic spirit of coexistence," adding, "Now I am the leader of the ruling party. Although conflicts are inevitable in such a situation, I will find common ground and learn the spirit of dialogue and compromise."

Speaker Kim said, "It must feel like a heavy responsibility to be appointed as the Emergency Response Committee Chairman leading the party's innovation ahead of the election," and added, "Politics is, at the very least, about people elected by 200,000 to 300,000 citizens. There is an essential difference from public officials in that representatives form assemblies to decide all matters."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "To listen well and to mediate conflicts through dialogue and compromise, it is always necessary to put oneself in the other person's shoes," and encouraged, "Chairman Han is smart in appearance, smart in mind, and smart in speech. I believe he will do well."

Speaker Kim also said, "In his acceptance speech as Emergency Response Committee Chairman, the words 'I want to work with fellow citizens to improve their lives' resonated with me," adding, "To do that, the first step is to empathize with the pain and suffering of fellow citizens and to start efforts to reduce it. Then many people will feel Chairman Han's sincerity deeply."

Meanwhile, during a private meeting held that day, Speaker Kim asked Chairman Han to cooperate so that the special law on the Itaewon disaster can be processed with bipartisan agreement at the plenary session scheduled for the 9th of next month.

Chairman Han ended the meeting with Speaker Kim after about 20 minutes, paid respects to the late Monsignor Jeong Eui-chae (Paolo) in the morning, and was scheduled to receive a courtesy visit from Han Oh-seop, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, in the afternoon. Afterwards, he planned to pay a courtesy visit to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Attention is focused on whether there will be any mention of the 'double special investigations (Kim Keon-hee and the Daejang-dong 5 billion club special investigations) law' passed by opposition-led National Assembly plenary session the previous day and investigations related to Leader Lee during the visit. Since Chairman Han has been sharply criticizing the Democratic Party, there is speculation that there will be a heated exchange during the meeting with Leader Lee. Previously, Chairman Han criticized Leader Lee as a "suspect of a serious crime" and "someone impersonating a prosecutor."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party held a Standing National Committee meeting on the same morning and approved the appointment plan for the Emergency Response Committee members. If the appointment plan passes, Chairman Han is expected to preside over the first meeting, which will also serve as an introductory meeting for the Emergency Response Committee members, in the afternoon.

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