▲Chung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 20th addressed the cautious view within the party on abolishing supplementary investigation rights, saying, "If full abolition is not achieved, the entire body could be shaken by a 10% tail." He also voiced concern, saying, "If the 'house rabbits' (core supporters) leave home, the general and presidential elections become hopeless." Chu Mi-ae, governor of Gyeonggi Province, called retaining supplementary investigation rights an "anti-democratic regression" and cited the cases of Germany and Japan, but this was revealed to be inconsistent with the facts. In a recent Gallup Korea survey, the share of Democratic Party supporters favoring retention of supplementary investigation rights (46%) outpaced those favoring abolition (39%). Isn't former leader Chung's call to abolish supplementary investigation rights ultimately aimed only at winning the votes of the party's hardline members?
▲Ahead of the "National Real Estate Debate" on the 23rd of this month, public discontent with the government's real estate policy is erupting. As of 2 p.m. on the 20th, more than 2,200 opinions had been submitted to a government-created website, complaining of the pain caused by lending regulations and proposing measures such as revitalizing redevelopment projects and easing the property holding tax burden. Nevertheless, Kim Yong-beom, chief of the Presidential Office of Policy, the previous day said, "We are sorry to the people," but merely repeated his existing stance, saying that redevelopment and reconstruction "are not a master key." Surely the National Debate won't end as a foregone conclusion, will it?
