Joo Ho-young Stepping Down as Floor Leader: "The Party Must Unite and Do Politics That the People Desire"

Joo Ho-young, Acting Leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th, greeting lawmakers./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Joo Ho-young, acting leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, emphasized during a press conference held on the 28th ahead of the expiration of his term, "No matter what happens, we must unite and engage in politics that the people desire," adding, "We must always be a party that breathes together with the people, continuously presenting policies and visions based on justice and fairness for the people."

Reflecting on the past year since his appointment as floor leader, Acting Leader Joo said, "To recover from the shock of the general election defeat and quickly stabilize the party system, we managed to merge the United Future Party and the Future Korea Party just 40 days after the general election with great effort," and expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, for his efforts, including clarifying the party’s past."

He also directed sharp criticism toward the government and ruling party. Floor Leader Joo stated, "The only way for the president to be guaranteed safety after leaving office is to follow the will of the people," adding, "If the president bows to the will of the people, the people will protect the president. However, the Moon Jae-in administration is taking the wrong path by destroying the rule of law until the very end to secure their own safety."

Referring to appointments at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, the judiciary under Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, and the quarantine situation, he emphasized, "If the Blue House and the Democratic Party do not break free from double standards and continue as they have, they will face even greater judgment from public opinion. Without cooperation, the regime cannot survive."

He added, "Over the past year, parliamentary democracy has completely collapsed," stating, "Ignoring the National Assembly Act and the practices of parliamentary operation built since democratization, from the election of the National Assembly Speaker to the usurpation of the opposition’s right to the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship and monopolization of standing committee chairmanships, the ruling party has repeatedly pushed through bills unilaterally and resorted to hasty votes every time the National Assembly convened."

He said, "This made me feel despair, wondering what use the National Assembly is," but added, "Even if we could not restrain the regime’s reckless actions, we worked with the determination to leave a historical record and correct it later. Defending the battlefield called the National Assembly through filibusters, opposing debates, procedural speeches, and negotiation group representative speeches, we have exposed this regime’s tyranny before history and the people."

Once a new floor leader is elected at the party meeting on the 30th, Acting Leader Joo will step down. It is expected that he will challenge for the party leadership at the party convention, which is likely to be held as early as the end of next month or by June at the latest.

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