Yoo Seung-min: "We Will Build a Country Where Democracy Breathes with the Spirit of 5·18"

Press Conference in Gwangju on the 17th... "Democracy Must Properly Blend 'Minju' and 'Gonghwa'"

"Military Airport Relocation and Dalbit Inland Railroad Must Be Fair Like Gadeokdo"... Criticism of Government and Minjoo Party

Yang Seung-jo, G

Former National Assembly member and opposition presidential candidate Yoo Seung-min is holding a press conference at the Gwangju Metropolitan Council on the 17th.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 17th, a day before the 41st anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, former National Assembly member and opposition presidential candidate Yoo Seung-min visited Gwangju Metropolitan City and stated, "Based on the spirit of May 18, I will create a country where democracy breathes throughout the entire nation."

At a press conference held at the Gwangju Metropolitan Council that day, Yoo said, "The May 18 event in 1980 was a catalyst for the June 10 Democratic Uprising in 1987, which led to constitutional amendments and continues to this day. The preamble of the constitution mentions the ideology of the April 19 Democracy that resisted injustice, which ultimately led to the May 18 Democratic Uprising and further to the 2016 candlelight protests."

He continued, "For true democracy to be realized, as the founders of democracy said, 'democracy' and 'republic' must be properly blended," emphasizing, "We must not link regions and ideologies."

He added, "I do not accept the notion that Honam is progressive and Yeongnam is conservative," explaining, "There are reasonable conservatives in Honam and reasonable progressives in Yeongnam."

Furthermore, he stated, "The path of reform conservatism will gain support in Honam when it upholds the values of democracy and republic, the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising," urging, "I ask Honam to discern the right and wrong on this matter."

He also continued his criticism of the Moon Jae-in administration and the Democratic Party of Korea.

Yoo said, "During the four years of the Moon administration, democracy and republicanism were undermined," elaborating, "The judiciary was neutralized in the basic separation of powers of democracy, and the legislature monopolized power with 180 seats after the last general election, subordinating the president's power, which violates the separation of powers."

He added, "Among the administration's proud achievements is prosecutorial reform, but the prosecution, a power institution, did not stand at the center of the rule of law and became a servant of power. It is an anti-democratic regime," and said, "Although investigative rights are being separated, the current Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is facing dysfunction, and the investigative rights transferred to the police raise questions about whether the people's rights are being properly protected. The Democratic Party must reflect on this."

He also spoke on regional issues such as the relocation of military airports and the Dalbit Inland Railroad.

He said, "During my eight years on the National Defense Committee, I sponsored the Special Act on Military Airport Relocation and Support, and after long struggles, it passed the National Assembly in 2013," claiming, "The special law was proceeding on a donation and concession basis, but the Democratic Party hastily passed the Gadeokdo Special Act, creating another issue."

He added, "The Gadeokdo Special Act builds a new airport in Gadeokdo entirely with national funds, but when undertaking national projects, principles and standards must be fair," urging, "The military airport relocation must be pursued in the same way, and the Democratic Party must provide an answer on this."

Regarding the Dalbit Inland Railroad, he mentioned, "The Dalbit Inland Railroad, which connects the two cities with the lowest Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) ? Gwangju and Daegu ? inland to promote development, must be included in the national railway network."

On the Gwangju-type jobs initiative, he said, "The government started it, but the question is whether it is sustainable," explaining, "It must be sustainable by maintaining the original principles through smooth negotiations between labor and management regarding wages and working conditions."

He also said, "Other cities are benchmarking the Gwangju-type jobs and attempting similar projects," expressing hope that "this project will not be merely a show and will continue regardless of changes in administration."

Regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he said, "If former Prosecutor General Yoon decides to run for president, the People Power Party should open a platform to compete together and nominate a single candidate," adding, "Although he has not yet declared his intention to enter politics, to lead the country for five years, a well-prepared vision and policies are necessary."

Meanwhile, Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province and a ruling party presidential hopeful, also visited Gwangju that day.

Governor Yang emphasized, "The spirit of May 18 is to protect freedom and human rights and to create a society where everyone in Korea can live well," adding, "We must resolve social polarization to build a country where everyone prospers together and where the elderly are happy, and address the low birthrate issue."

He also said, "The issue of May 18 must be completed with the participation of the entire Republic of Korea," mentioning, "Since last year, Chungnam has held official May 18 events at the provincial office, and support payments for May 18 merit recipients are scheduled to begin this year."

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungcheongnam-do, who announced his intention to run for the presidential election, is holding a press conference at the Gwangju Metropolitan Council on the 17th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.