Jang Donghyuk: "U.S. Visit for Local Elections"... On Performance Controversy, "The Public Will Judge"

Press Conference on Donghyuk Jang's Visit to the U.S.: Achievements and Outcomes
"Meetings with U.S. Government Officials Remain Confidential Due to Diplomatic Protocol"
"Did My Best to Restore Trust in the South Korea-U.S. Alliance"

Jang Donghyuk, Representative of the People Power Party, emphasized on the 20th regarding his recent visit to the United States, "It was a necessary itinerary for restoring trust in the South Korea-U.S. alliance." Addressing criticism about a "vacancy in party leadership" ahead of the local elections, he dismissed the concerns by stating, "I decided to visit the United States for the local elections," and added, "It is up to the public to judge."

At a press conference held after concluding his 8-night, 10-day visit to the United States, Representative Jang said, "I fully anticipated that there could be controversy surrounding my visit to the U.S. at a time right before the elections," and emphasized, "Nevertheless, I did my utmost to restore trust in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which has been undermined by the series of diplomatic failures under the Lee Jaemyung administration."

He particularly explained, "Amid recent diplomatic issues, I focused on clarifying the role of the Republic of Korea and delivering a message that the People Power Party will take responsible action."

People Power Party Representative Jang Donghyuk is holding a press conference on the achievements of his visit to the United States at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

As achievements from this visit to the United States, he cited: ▲ reaffirmation of the South Korea-U.S. alliance amid rapidly changing international circumstances such as the Iran war, ▲ discussions on security cooperation and North Korea policy, and ▲ talks on trade issues including cooperation over corporate visa problems.

Representative Jang stated, "With the international situation changing rapidly due to the war involving Iran, the United States asked the Republic of Korea to play a role appropriate to its economic and international status," and added, "The South Korea-U.S. alliance is strong, and the People Power Party will fulfill its proper responsibilities."

He continued, "We discussed ways for South Korea and the U.S. to maintain peace through strength, as well as issues critical to the future of both countries' economies, such as trade negotiations."

Regarding tangible outcomes from the visit that the public can feel, Representative Jang mentioned, "Concerning visa issues that our companies are struggling with, an official from the U.S. State Department promised active cooperation to resolve these problems."

However, he restricted disclosure of specific meeting partners and schedules. Representative Jang explained, "There are diplomatic protocol constraints when an opposition party leader meets officials from the U.S. administration," and said, "It is not appropriate to disclose whom I met." He added, "Briefings were also held on issues related to the State Department and the National Security Council (NSC)."

Within political circles, there has been criticism that the party leader's prolonged absence ahead of the local elections and the unclear results of meetings with high-ranking officials are problematic. Additionally, the release of photos taken during undisclosed parts of the schedule led to comments that coordination with the party was insufficient. On this day, Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "To borrow the People Power Party's own terminology, this was a diplomatic disaster," and remarked, "The opposition leader went abroad only to have his photograph taken from behind with an assistant secretary."

In response, Representative Jang rebutted, "There are many aspects that cannot be made public due to diplomatic conventions," and added, "It is not appropriate to judge the entire U.S. visit based on one undisclosed event or a single photograph." He further emphasized, "When necessary, I have released schedules and photos through social media and the party's public relations channels," and noted, "I have done my best, fulfilling only official duties without any personal schedule."

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