People Power Party lawmaker Park Su-min [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Park Su-min [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Park Su-min on Wednesday called for a special committee on National Election Commission reform to operate for one to two years and deliver firm results to the public.

Speaking on KBS Radio that day, Park said the current moment is "the golden time, with about one year and nine months left until the general election," adding that the NEC cannot be expected to reform itself simply because a parliamentary investigation has identified problems.

To complete the reform, Park said, a dedicated NEC reform committee must be established and vote-counting procedures must be verified. He added that administrative acts carried out within the NEC — which have been exempt from audits due to the constitutional structure — must be brought fully under audit, covering both budget execution and general administration.

On internal party affairs, Park described the People Power Party as being "in a transitional period," saying it is "a transitional phase in which we have begun to think about what direction and leadership we should pursue."

He said there are already "early signs" pointing to the party's direction and how it will organize, adding that the floor leader "is clearly moving" and that the party will become more organized as it advances.

On cooperation with the Reform Party, Park said he views floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik's recent moves "very positively," arguing that if the PPP skips the process of aligning with the Reform Party — which shares the same starting point and similar thinking — "we cannot take a single step forward in terms of direction."

On the South Korea-US relationship, Park said "warning lights are on," noting that the United States has used tariff negotiations as leverage to demand investment from South Korea and that the government has complied. "We need to manage this process," he said.

He was also critical of how the Coupang Inc issue was handled. "I think Coupang was mishandled 100 percent," he said. "Was there not a response that was too abrupt, too sudden — something of a blindside — out of step with the current reality and sentiment in South Korea?"

On real estate taxation, Park described loan regulations and the land transaction permit system as "short-term, temporary measures targeting specific areas at specific times." Regarding a forum scheduled for Thursday, he said he was "half worried, half hopeful" about whether solutions would emerge or whether existing positions would simply be reinforced.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com