‘Longest-serving’ Jang Dong-hyuk visits Park Chung-hee’s birthplace to rally conservatives

[Financial News] People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk visited former President Park Chung-hee’s birthplace in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on the 30th, seeking to highlight his conservative identity. On his first regional visit since breaking the record for the longest tenure as party leader on the 25th, he emphasized Park’s achievements in industrialization and continued to stand with supporters raising allegations of election fraud, helping consolidate the conservative support base.
After paying his respects that day, Jang told reporters, referring to the film ‘The Assassins,’ “The issue of historical distortion has become serious lately. Many people are angry.” The film ‘The Assassins’ became the subject of political controversy amid claims that it suggests former President Park may have been involved in the shooting of Yuk Young-soo. The filmmakers say the work adds cinematic imagination to historical suspicions, while the People Power Party has criticized it for fueling historical distortion.
Jang emphasized, “The fact that historical truth is subject to verification and the idea that it can be distorted recklessly are entirely different matters,” adding, “No matter what the intention behind distorting history may be, the name of President Park Chung-hee, who brought about the modernization of our country, will not be forgotten.” He also wrote in the guestbook: ‘Those who stop cannot win. An unforgettable name, an unwavering history, Park Chung-hee, the father of modernization.’
Jang also called for the election fraud allegations to be investigated in connection with the public examination of ballot papers held the previous day at Olympic Park in Seoul. He has called for improvements to the election system, citing the ballot-paper shortage during the June 3 local elections. Responding to criticism from the ruling camp that he was using election-fraud claims to retain party leadership, he said, “It is a malicious attempt to dismiss the issue of voting rights as a conspiracy theory and sweep it under the rug.” He added of the rally participants at Olympic Park, “As long as even one person remains to fight, I will go wherever they are fighting and fight alongside them.”

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