Song Eon-seok: "Will Fulfill My Duty for the Local Election... Floor Leader Term Not a Major Issue"

Calls for Shift in Lee Administration's Real Estate Policy
"Minister Chung Dongyoung Must Be Immediately Dismissed"

Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated on the 22nd, "I will do my utmost to fulfill my final responsibilities by finding a way to win in the upcoming local elections, uniting the strength of the party, and working together with one heart to achieve victory."

Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference at the National Assembly on the 22nd.

Song held a press conference at the National Assembly that afternoon. When asked about the possibility of an early floor leader election, he commented, "The issue of the floor leader's term is not a major concern within our party." He added, "It is extremely important to find the right candidates not only for metropolitan and basic local government heads but also for the parliamentary by-elections," emphasizing that "the party's efforts should be focused in that direction."

Song's term as floor leader runs until June 16. Both inside and outside the party, there have been predictions that Song may step down early to coordinate the timing with the term of Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party, which ends next month, and to better respond to negotiations over the formation of the new parliamentary structure. At a press meeting held on the 15th, Song was also asked about this issue and replied that no decision had been made, saying, "I am not attached to my position and will gather the consensus of the members."

With the June 3 local elections approaching, there have been discussions about forming independent election campaign committees in regions such as Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan. Regarding the interpretation that this means distancing themselves from the central party, Song pointed out, "Framing the formation of regional campaign committees as a sign of division within the party is an excessive interpretation." He further explained that in past local elections as well, campaign committees were organized by region, and stated, "It is being operated through a normal process."

At the press conference, Song also urged the Lee Jae-myung administration to shift its real estate policy stance to focus on actual end-users. He stressed, "Signals from tax measures that destabilize the market, such as abolishing special long-term holding deductions and strengthening property taxes, should be withdrawn immediately." He went on to say, "The People Power Party will ensure the groundbreaking of a total of 310,000 housing units by 2031," adding, "We will work with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to pursue transformative policies for expanding supply."

Song also addressed the recent controversy over remarks made by Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young regarding the location of North Korean nuclear facilities, stating, "This clearly constitutes a leak of classified information." He added, "The United States continues to raise concerns, and information sharing is now restricted," stressing, "Blindly defending Minister Chung will not resolve this issue." He concluded, "For the proper restoration of the South Korea-U.S. relationship, Minister Chung should be immediately dismissed."

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