'Will put final period on prosecution reform I've waited decades for'

Cho Kuk, the Rebuilding Korea Party candidate in the Pyeongtaek B National Assembly by-election in Gyeonggi Province, speaks at the launch ceremony of the 63-hour blue relay event held at his campaign office in Pyeongtaek on Saturday. [Yonhap]
Cho Kuk, the Rebuilding Korea Party candidate in the Pyeongtaek B National Assembly by-election in Gyeonggi Province, speaks at the launch ceremony of the 63-hour blue relay event held at his campaign office in Pyeongtaek on Saturday. [Yonhap]

By Joo So-hyun, The Herald Business

Cho Kuk, the Rebuilding Korea Party leader running in the Pyeongtaek B National Assembly by-election in Gyeonggi Province, said Monday — the final day of official campaigning — that his victory was essential to building a "sturdy bridge" connecting the pan-democratic camp's unity and solidarity. "Only when you give us an overwhelming show of support can the politics of solidarity and unity prevail over factional and self-interest politics," he said.

Cho wrote on his Facebook page that day, appealing for strong backing. "I earnestly ask for your overwhelming support. How much strength citizens rally together will make a significant difference in the direction of change in South Korean politics," he wrote.

Cho described himself and his supporters as "comrades sharing the same dream," adding that they would remain united beyond election day. "Even after the election, we are rivers flowing together toward the sea of 'a successful Lee Jae Myung administration.' Just as water cannot be divided, our resolve is one," he said.

He pledged to return to the National Assembly as "the most reform-minded and courageous lawmaker," vowing to complete the prosecution reform he had waited decades for. "I will strengthen and expand the vision and values of past democratic governments," he added.

Cho said he would build on the legacies of the Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations in line with a vision of advancing social rights, while working to eradicate the remnants of the insurrection through decisive reform and support President Lee Jae Myung's success.

Addressing the residents of Pyeongtaek, Cho acknowledged his early stumbles. "When I took my first steps as a newcomer to Pyeongtaek, I was clumsy and lacking. But the citizens of Pyeongtaek embraced me — Cho Kuk — as a warm neighbor to build the city's future together," he said. "I will speak for your urgent needs and act on them. I will repay the generosity you have shown me by becoming a truly capable public servant."

Cho planned to hold his final campaign rally at the KTX Gyeonggi Southern Station site that day. "It is my firm resolve to begin and end this campaign alongside the hopes and wishes of Pyeongtaek citizens," he said, adding that he would work to make Pyeongtaek "a warm pond where every citizen can live well" — the city he called his last hometown.


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