Rival parties to hold workshop ahead of national assembly

Aug 28, 2023, 09:44 am

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Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) applaud after adopting a resolution during an annual workshop on Aug. 25, 2022./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Jenny Yoo

The ruling and opposition parties will hold a two-day workshop for lawmakers in Incheon and Wonju, respectively, on Monday ahead of the regular session of the National Assembly.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) needs to come up with a strategy to produce results for major legislative and budget bills to win the upcoming general election next year. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) needs to resolve the judicial risk situation of its chief Lee Jae-myung and conflicts within the party.

According to political circles on Sunday, the PPP will hold a workshop for its lawmakers at the Incheon International Airport Corporation’s Human Resources Academy.

As the upcoming National Assembly is the last regular session before the general election, the promotion of legislative and budget tasks to support the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s achievement in state affairs has emerged as a focus of discussion. In the cabinet discussion, the party is expected to discuss ways to support the president’s main initiative for the second half of the year, which is reviving the economy. As Yoon has made considerable achievements in strengthening the Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation system on the international diplomatic stage over the past year, it is urgent to prepare follow-up measures at the party level.

The ruling party needs to establish a strategy to cope with rumors that are spreading after Japan began to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The workshop will feature three lectures on national integration, economy, and communication by Kim Byung-joon, former chairman of the emergency committee of the Liberty Korea Party, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, and professor Koo Jung-mo of Sungkyunkwan University.

Attention is also being paid to whether President Yoon will visit this year’s workshop to meet the lawmakers. At the workshop held in August last year, Yoon attended the event for the first time as an incumbent president and had a dinner with lawmakers.

The DP will hold a two-day workshop at Oak Valley in Wonju, Gangwon Province. It is expected to mainly discuss the possibility of prosecutors investigating Lee Jae-myung and requesting a warrant, Japan’s discharge of contaminated radioactive water to the ocean, and preparing an offensive strategy to play the blame game over Jamboree fiasco.

Above all, the biggest issue will be discussing Lee’s position at a time when the prosecution investigation and warrant on him is expected. In an interview with a broadcaster last Thursday, Lee dismissed the demand for resignation, saying, “I became the party leader with an overwhelming support of 78 percent, and that support will be strengthened beyond maintenance.”

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