Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the 28th that the party will shift into an all-out mobilization mode in which every lawmaker sprints at full speed while the party provides thorough support and oversight.
Speaking at a Supreme Council meeting held at the Inspire Hotel in Incheon, Kim said he would run the party with the resolve that all Democratic Party lawmakers become agents of solving national tasks, in order to open what he called a golden age for South Korea as a democracy grounded in popular sovereignty.
"We will have every lawmaker sprint at full speed, and starting today the party will enter an all-out mobilization system in which it offers thorough support and conducts complete oversight," he said. "Before long, all lawmakers will be assigned specific missions by the party." He added that assignments would be made "through individual conversations with every lawmaker, entrusting the most suitable person with the task in an appropriate form."
Kim cited the Bank of Korea's upward revision of its economic growth forecast for this year to 3.3%, saying the party would spare no effort on legislation and budget support to ensure the momentum continues. On the BOK Monetary Policy Board's decision to raise the base rate to 3%, he said he believed the move reflected a comprehensive assessment of conditions including prices, household debt and the won's exchange rate. "We will watch closely to ensure the rate increase does not translate into excessive repayment burdens for financially vulnerable groups, and we will prepare measures if necessary," he said.
Kim also reaffirmed his commitment to holding those responsible for the Dec. 3 martial law crisis to account. On the 12-year prison sentence handed down to Kim Hyun-tae, former commander of the 707th Special Mission Group, who was indicted on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection, he said, "There is public sentiment that the sentence is light compared with the crime committed, but justice has prevailed." He added, "We will not let our guard down until the truth of the Dec. 3 insurrection is revealed without a shred of doubt and all due punishment for the crimes has been served." Rooting out the insurrection and normalizing the country, he said, remain works in progress.
