Jang Dong-hyuk moves to halt budget recklessness
Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon — all seen as potential contenders for the next presidential race — continued their public appearances on Wednesday morning, each delivering their own message through forums and press conferences at the National Assembly.
Speaking at a press conference on the "budget that solves people's lives" held at the party headquarters at 11 a.m., Rep. Jang declared, "We will absolutely stop the Lee Jae-myung administration's runaway budgeting and squandering of taxpayers' money, which is burying South Korea in debt." He outlined plans to increase next year's government budget by 1.159 trillion won ($830 million) in five areas: youth, public safety, people's livelihoods, jobs, and cost-of-living relief.
Oh Se-hoon returned to the National Assembly with Jang Dong-hyuk by his side. That same morning, the mayor attended a policy forum titled "World Heritage Preservation and the Future of the City: Finding a Path to Coexistence," hosted by the People Power Party's Seoul chapter and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at the National Assembly members' office building. It was his first visit to the Assembly since his acquittal in the appeal trial over the scandal involving illicit payment of opinion poll expenses. At the forum, Oh said, "I intend to candidly seek harmony and unity through dialogue on how to lay the groundwork for victory in the general and presidential elections."
The forum drew 38 attendees, including House floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik and other party and floor leadership, as well as lawmakers seen as loyal to Oh — Cho Eun-hee, Kim Jae-seob, and Kwon Young-jin — and those aligned with former PPP chief Han Kyung-ja's faction — Bae Hyun-jin, Han Ji-ah, Woo Jae-joon, and Park Jung-ha. Rep. Jang, whose attendance was not on the program, made an unannounced appearance, and no seat had been prepared for him in advance. Oh shook hands with Jang and patted him on the back.
That day, lawmakers from both the pro-Oh and pro-Han camps crossed over to attend each other's forums. However, while Rep. Jang and most of the party leadership faction attended Oh's forum, they skipped Han Dong-hoon's event. Meeting with reporters, Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun urged Rep. Jang to pursue conservative unity, saying, "An 'O-Dong-Seok-Jang' alliance — Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon, Lee Jun-seok, and Jang Dong-hyuk — must come together."
