People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won. [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won warned Wednesday that the government's 800 trillion won ($524 billion) Honam mega-project could push Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province into "a crisis of decline and discriminatory treatment."

Na made the remarks at a forum hosted by Asia Forum 21, a Daegu-North Gyeongsang press association, held at Daegu Art Park on Wednesday, saying it "remains to be seen" whether the Honam mega-project represents a rational decision.

"President Lee Jae-myung claims he persuaded companies to invest simultaneously in Yongin and Honam, but that word — persuasion — sounds like nothing more than coercion," she said. "The rational choice would be to come to the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region, which has abundant power and water resources."

On the proposed administrative merger of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, Na said the government "never intended to push through a Daegu-North Gyeongsang integration law from the start," adding that raising the Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger first was simply a move to create the broader regional structure the government wanted.

Na labeled an online regulation bill pushed by the government and ruling party — ostensibly to curb misinformation — a "gag law," warning that "regulating vaguely defined expressions such as hate speech, discrimination and fabricated content could restrict freedom of expression and mark the beginning of totalitarianism."

She also said a bill to withdraw criminal indictments was "an attempt to erase criminal charges through legislation rather than trial," adding that if such a withdrawal were carried out, it "could become grounds for impeaching President Lee Jae-myung."

On moves to abolish the prosecution's authority to investigate national security cases, Na said "serious problems could arise for national security and public safety."

Na said Daegu residents "put the People Power Party on life support" in the June 3 local elections, calling on the party to "prepare for the next general election through change and reform, and restore South Korea to normalcy."

Asked whether her visit to Daegu and North Gyeongsang was aimed at positioning herself for the party leadership race, Na said the term was premature given that the party convention had not yet begun. "As a lawmaker from the greater Seoul area, I have had many shortcomings in communication, and I came to express my gratitude to the residents of Daegu and North Gyeongsang for their support in the June 3 local elections," she said.


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