People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok will conclude his nationwide tour of suffrage-protection rally sites this week, as the party leadership pushed back sharply against criticism that he is engaging in "outside politics," calling such remarks "words that simply could not come from a politician who puts the people first."
Chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon told reporters after a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday that the party currently plans to end Jang's visits to civic movement sites with his upcoming trip to Daegu.
Jang is scheduled to visit rally sites in Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, followed by Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, and Daegu on Saturday. Park added that Jang's personal visits to Olympic Park — separate from the nationwide tour — are tentatively expected to continue until the special prosecutor act is accepted.
Park said Jang had listened firsthand to the voices of people in their 20s and 30s across the country through the site visits and had worked hard to reflect those voices within the political system. "The outcome of that is what we see as the special prosecutor for the opposition-recommended National Election Commission investigation," Park said, adding that the party would do its utmost to ensure the special prosecutor act is accepted within the institutional framework.
Jang's chief of staff, Park Jun-tae, said it was only natural for politicians to visit places where citizens gather. "At Olympic Park right now, there are citizens and young people who have set aside their livelihoods to be there," he said. "Rain or shine, drenched in sweat, they are holding their ground with the conviction to protect their right to vote."
On the criticism of Jang's "outside politics," Park Jun-tae called on critics to speak up under their own names. He said politicians should feel grateful and sorry toward those citizens and bear a sense of responsibility. "In the midst of all this, there are those who seem to be saying they cannot stand with the party leader because he is out at Olympic Park, or that he appears to be using those visits as a means to protect his own tenure," he said.
Park said such remarks were ones "that simply could not come from a politician who puts the people first," and added that about 40 lawmakers from the party had visited Olympic Park. "The citizens at the scene also appear to be taking note of who has shown up and who has turned their back," he said.
mp1256@heraldcorp.com
