Democratic Party launches 'Friday Grassroots' initiative to put all lawmakers on streets weekly

The Democratic Party of Korea announced Wednesday it will formally launch its "Friday Grassroots Unit" — a nationwide constituent-outreach initiative — on Friday, with Assembly member Park Ji-won serving as head and Assembly member Lee Hoon-gi as secretary.

Under the initiative, every Democratic Party Assembly member and regional committee chair across all 254 constituencies will take to the streets every Friday to meet residents directly, gather feedback and policy proposals, and share what they hear across the party. The information collected will then be channeled to the government and Cheong Wa Dae to produce concrete results in policy, legislation and budgeting.

The party plans to make every Friday a signature brand of grassroots politics — a day when all Democratic Party lawmakers and regional chairs go out among the public and make a meaningful impression.

Each lawmaker and regional committee chair will independently choose where to visit within their constituency, walking the area and meeting ordinary residents. They will listen to feedback on government policy and take in policy proposals from the community.

Existing outreach activities that lawmakers and regional chairs already conduct in their districts can be folded directly into the initiative. Representative examples include Park Ji-won's "Return on Friday," Lee Hoon-gi's "Friday Neighborhood Walk," Rep. Park Ji-hye's "Walk and Report," Rep. Lee Jeong-heon's "Walking into Gwangjin," and Rep. Chae Hyeon-il's "Open-Air Constituency Office."

All Assembly members and regional committee chairs will post their Friday activities — results, reflections, constituent complaints and policy suggestions — on social media using the shared hashtag "#FridayGrassrootsUnit." The party plans to amplify the nationwide outreach work conducted over the Friday-through-Sunday period, with standout examples promoted further through the party's central social media accounts and Democratic TV.

Each lawmaker's office will log policy proposals and complaints received in the field and submit key livelihood issues to the initiative's secretariat. Offices will also track the handling of each complaint and proposal to ensure matters are not merely heard but actually resolved.

The Friday Grassroots Unit will also compile submissions from individual offices and select a "Top 5 Livelihood Issues" list. The selected issues will be reported to the party leader and forwarded to the government and Cheong Wa Dae, with the aim of translating them into real outcomes through policy, legislation and budgeting.

Park, the initiative's head, said the Friday Grassroots Unit traces its origins to the teaching of the late former President Kim Dae-jung, who championed the idea of returning to constituents on Fridays. "I will play the role of a disciplinarian to ensure our Assembly members and regional committee chairs meet the public even more intensely going forward," he said.

Lee, the secretary, said the initiative would bring lawmakers directly to ordinary residents to hear their policy proposals and complaints and follow through to real solutions. "I will answer with results so that people can say, 'Meeting a Democratic Party lawmaker really made a difference' and 'My life changes when I meet a Democratic Party lawmaker,'" he said.