Hong Ik-pyo says 'redevelopment' also on table, but 'people decide'

Hong Ik-pyo, the presidential political affairs secretary at Cheong Wa Dae, said Monday that it is ultimately the people — not politicians — who should decide the direction of the Democratic Party. He was responding to writer Yoo Si-min's recent remark that President Lee Jae Myung's supporters had wanted an "extension" of the party but the president was carrying out a "reconstruction."

Speaking in an interview on SBS Radio's Kim Tae-hyun's Politics Show that day, Hong said, "These days the technical terms 'extension' and 'reconstruction' have suddenly appeared, but I would go further and say there is also 'redevelopment.'" He added that the decision rests with the people, not the political world.

Yoo had earlier appeared on broadcaster Kim Ou-joon's YouTube channel and suggested that the president may have been overconfident.

Hong said it was difficult to respond to every remark made by a single individual, but drew a parallel to urban development: "When it comes to an individual property, you extend, redevelop or reconstruct it; when an entire neighborhood is the problem, you do urban regeneration or redevelopment."

He then cited President Lee's frequent saying that "it may look like politicians run politics, but it is the people who do," and said, "Rather than debating among ourselves, we need a process of listening to the people — thinking about what they want and what is needed to open up the future of South Korea."

Hong also addressed Kim's claim that the president's approval rating had slipped because core supporters were "sitting on their hands." He acknowledged the point was "partly correct" but rebuffed the framing, saying the decline was not coming from one direction alone.

"Support is falling among moderates too, and among core supporters there are cases where people simply do not respond — they are not answering polling calls," he said. "Because it is falling on both sides, this should not be seen as a problem of core supporters alone, or of moderates alone." He added that "three factors are working together simultaneously."

When the host asked whether he found Yoo's "reconstruction" argument persuasive, Hong said he hoped the various views would lead to healthy debate. "Rather than belittling, mocking or attacking any particular person, the question is what South Korea's future looks like and what choices, changes and judgments the Democratic Party must make in pursuing that future — and based on that, we extend if necessary, or reconstruct," he said. He added that "even redevelopment is an option, and all such choices are matters to be decided through that kind of discussion."

Hong also raised the issue of political unity within the Democratic Party in connection with the planned meeting between President Lee and former President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday.

On the meeting itself, Hong said, "Former President Moon is a senior elder of the Democratic Party, and is he not one of the few politicians who can share with President Lee the experience and wisdom of a former head of state?" He said the meeting had been planned and prepared over multiple rounds.

Asked whether the meeting was intended with intra-party tensions in mind, Hong said the first priority was "sharing wisdom with a former president at a time when South Korea faces challenges and leaps forward to become an irreplaceable nation." He said the second priority was "social integration, and if necessary, the question of political unity within our democratic camp — which is also a very important task."

Hong quoted President Lee's remark at a June 8 press conference — "Why are you trying to wage war when you should be competing?" — and said, "Both presidents have themselves experienced that kind of mockery and contempt, which is why I believe they share the view that this must not be repeated and must not be allowed to escalate."

When analysts suggested the meeting could serve as an opportunity to ease intra-party tensions, Hong said, "It should." He added, "Politics always involves competition and sometimes conflict. But I hope that conflict is future-oriented and fought for the people."

Meanwhile, Hong addressed Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's statement that abolishing supplementary investigative powers was the government's official position. "To some extent, this was naturally discussed and deliberated with us," Hong said, adding that Prime Minister Kim had laid out the government's position and asked the National Assembly to complete the legislative process on that basis.

On why the government had not put forward its own bill and instead passed the matter to the Assembly, Hong said, "We judged that it would lead to more effective and swift legislation if the National Assembly, through its own deliberative process, devised complementary measures and worked out ways to minimize the side effects of abolishing supplementary investigative powers."