Cho Kuk: "Even with Lee’s popularity, we only have three years... Reforms are needed to win another term"

According to The Financial News, Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, argued on the 19th that the Lee Jae-myung administration has only three years in which it can drive reforms, and therefore must accelerate reform legislation. He was commenting on the recent disagreements between the government and the broader pro-ruling camp over bills to establish the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
Through social media that day, Cho stated, "No matter how popular the Lee Jae-myung administration is, the time during which it can carry out reforms is typically three years. After the 2028 general election, the political center of gravity shifts toward the next presidential candidate," adding, "Only by completing major reforms within three years can the administration secure another term in power, and President Lee become a leader remembered in history."
He continued, "During the process of revising the Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency bills, many lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea claimed or assumed that the president’s intent lay in the government’s proposal, and they either defended it unconditionally or remained silent. Reporters from progressive media also invoked so-called realism, branding lawmakers who stressed prosecutorial reform as hardliners, while 'true pro-Lee' political commentators and YouTubers vilified advocates of prosecutorial reform as 'anti-Lee' figures opposed to President Lee."
He went on, "The sovereign people, who fought against prosecutorial dictatorship and established a people’s sovereignty government, were bewildered and disappointed. They then expressed their views forcefully, and the bill was revised into what Professor Han In-seop of Seoul National University (SNU) rated as an 82-point bill," adding, "Reform has no final destination. The moment you stop, regression begins. Because the vast majority of citizens have experienced the harms of prosecutorial dictatorship, reform is not at odds with expanding support to the political center."
He added, "After prosecutorial reform, political reform, socio-economic reform, and human rights reform still await us, one after another," and continued, "I and the Rebuilding Korea Party are sincere about fulfilling these historic tasks. I strongly hope we can join hands and link arms with Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers to make them a reality."

uknow@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Yoon-ho Reporter