The ruling and opposition parties presented conflicting interpretations of ‘holiday public sentiment’ on the 27th, the last day of the Chuseok holiday.
The Democratic Party of Korea evaluated that there were many requests to work together with President Lee Jae-myung to pursue policies for people's livelihood, but the People Power Party said that there was great public concern about the Lee Jae-myung administration's economic and security policies.
◇ “I hope the ruling party takes the lead in the political situation”… ‘Perceived economic deterioration’ public sentiment
Park Seong-joon, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Party members and supporters said that the party, government, and Blue House should unite around the president to become a powerful ruling party. There was also a request that it would be good for the ruling party to take the lead in the political situation at the regular National Assembly and continue policies that the people can feel."
Senior Spokesperson Park emphasized, "Concerns about the approval ratings of the (party and Blue House) base have become sincere," and "there have been concerns about ministerial personnel appointments, and there have been loud voices calling for a quick personnel appointment to stabilize the political situation after the President's return to Korea."
He pointed out, “There were also loud voices saying that the People Power Party was losing its senses,” and “There is criticism that it is fueling public anxiety by going beyond simple political strife and spawning conspiracy theories over the explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the repatriation of prisoners.”
A Honam lawmaker said in a phone call with Yonhap News, "There is a growing consensus that President Lee should be supported more as he has restored democracy and is investing heavily in Honam to develop the economy."
Rep. Cho Seung-rae said on Facebook, "I am worried about the situation where public sentiment has weakened trust between the president and the party," and analyzed, "This is a reprimand asking them not to cause conflict and antagonism with each other, but to play a role so that they can feel safe and support each other as a ruling force."
The Democratic Party also promised to pursue effective policies, saying it had heard about the difficult economic situation during the Chuseok holiday.
Chief Spokesperson Park said, "There were many voices worried about the perceived economic downturn, but fortunately, the price of Chuseok ancestral rites went down this year for the first time in nine years. However, there are still some shortcomings for the public to feel."
Rep. Cho Seung-rae said, "To summarize the voices of those who spoke during the Chuseok holiday, they complained that the additional tax revenue will exceed 160 trillion won by next year, but the lives of ordinary people continue to be difficult," and added, "We must not rush because it is urgent, but prepare and respond steadily."
Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung said at the meeting, "The government will not stop at announcing policies, but will take care of whether the budget and legislation are properly supported and have further dialogue with the opposition party," and emphasized, "The general principle of the regular National Assembly is a National Assembly with policies that are all-in on the people's livelihood."
◇ National Power “On the verge of explosion of public sentiment in the region, including farmland survey and real estate”... There are also regrets about the Zhang regime.
Rep. Na Kyung-won, whose constituency is Seoul, wrote on Facebook on this day, "The public sentiment we faced in and around the Chuseok holiday area was literally 'anger' on the verge of explosion." She added, "The people are in agony every day due to the onslaught of the 'minefield regime' that explodes at everything it touches, such as high prices, real estate disasters, loan regulations, complete surveys of farmland, and DMZ land mine damage."
Lee Seong-kwon, a re-elected lawmaker from Busan, also said in a phone call with Yonhap News, "I felt that the majority of voters who tend to support the Democratic Party have changed to a negative attitude toward the government. The economic situation, including real estate, stocks, and prices, is not easy, and while various incidents are taking place, the president's personal issues, such as constitutional amendments and cancellation of indictments, have also become issues, so it has had a negative impact."
Lee Jong-bae, a four-term North Chungcheong lawmaker, said, "There was a lot of criticism among small business owners that there was no improvement in income or people's economic livelihood, and that trust had fallen a lot because they had implemented policies that only made things difficult for the people."
In particular, strong public opposition to the complete farmland survey was detected, especially in rural areas.
Lee Man-hee, a third-term Gyeongsangbuk-do lawmaker, said, “There was great antipathy in rural areas, saying that the complete farmland survey was a desk-based policy that did not reflect realities such as population extinction and aging,” and added, “Personal antipathy toward the blatant regional discrimination policy in the TK region was also increasing.”
However, there were voices calling for the party leaders, including leader Jang Dong-hyuk, to join forces with independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon to join forces in the struggle against conservatives, along with disappointment over the party's leadership's strategy of expanding conservative external relations.
A lawmaker from the metropolitan area said, “I think the hot topic of public sentiment during Chuseok was Rep. Han,” adding, “Opinions that Rep. Han should be reinstated as quickly as possible and opinions that asked, ‘Why are we not as good as Rep. Han?’ coexisted.”
One senior lawmaker also said, “There was a request that Representative Jang play his role well, saying he seemed to be leaning too far in one direction. He said he hoped he would not fight with one lawmaker and work together to lead the conservative party well.”
