People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk Emphasizes 'Direct Elections for Party Members' and 'Establishing Conservative Identity' at First Anniversary Press Conference

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk announced two key promises to commemorate his first anniversary in office. First, he expressed his intention to introduce direct elections for party members to ensure that their voices are more directly reflected in district party organizations and city/provincial party chapters. Second, he presented the future direction of the party's struggle, emphasizing the principle of 'moving forward unflinchingly if it's the right path.' Representative Jang apologized to the public for failing to stop the opposition party's legislative rampage over the past year.

The People Power Party presented the protection of housing rights, safety rights, and freedom of expression as its main policy visions. Regarding housing rights, it promised to develop alternative real estate policies focused on actual demand. Safety rights aim to restore national sovereignty based on the rule of law, and the party stated it would make legislative efforts to overcome the drawbacks of 'Geomsuwanbak' (complete deprivation of prosecutorial investigative powers). Additionally, it plans to pursue policies to abolish online 'gag orders' and enhance the happiness rights of young people.

Representative Jang Dong-hyuk announced the establishment of the 'Public Welfare Vitality PLA Committee' directly under the party leader. This committee is named after the initials of Patrol (on-site inspection), Legislation (enactment), and After-management (post-legislation care), and plans to build a system that directly inspects sites, enacts legislation based on findings, and takes responsibility for after-management. All these processes will be carried out through an organization directly managed by the party leader, and regular party official meetings will also be institutionalized to emphasize the practical promotion of public welfare policies.

The People Power Party announced that it would establish a 'Conservative Identity Establishment Committee' and promote solidarity with forces that agree with the founding and development of the Republic of Korea. This committee will be responsible for re-establishing and strengthening the conservative values that the party should have upheld. It plans to clarify the party's identity by strengthening its stance on revising existing policies such as basic income. This move is interpreted as an effort to regain lost conservative values and rally conservative supporters. A party official emphasized the importance of establishing conservative identity, stating, "It is correct to say that our party lost what it should have rightfully upheld."

Representative Jang Dong-hyuk was credited with playing a decisive role in overcoming the party's existential crisis during the previous party convention. At that time, as senior lawmakers announced their non-candidacy, the party was in danger of disintegrating, and Representative Jang took on the leadership position to confront the crisis head-on. Subsequently, even amidst adverse circumstances where fellow lawmakers faced difficulties due to special prosecutor extensions, Representative Jang alone is credited within the party for having protected it. This is interpreted as demonstrating leadership in a situation of potential party collapse, leading to its stabilization.

The People Power Party has been evaluated as having transitioned from appearing like a gathering of 'individual business owners' to forming a sense of community as 'comrades' since the inauguration of the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership. Over the course of a year, camaraderie blossomed among party members, and they understood a sense of community. This change is attributed to the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership firmly holding its ground and solidifying the party's internal structure.

The Jang Dong-hyuk leadership stated that over the past year, it has faced a dual challenge of factions promoting internal division and intensive attacks from the media. In particular, there were attempts within the party to oust Representative Jang Dong-hyuk, and major legacy media outlets, represented by 'Chosun, Joongang, Donga,' poured out critical editorials. Many of these editorials, such as 'A Good Day to Resign,' often contained predetermined, malicious value judgments, feeling more like personal attacks than editorials. The spokesperson confided that it was particularly distressing to read these criticisms, as they often negated the legitimacy of the leadership and disparaged the choices of party members.

Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's leadership was evaluated as 'seeing the big picture and acting, never taking the easy way.' Initially, there was a tendency to perceive him as a popular politician, but after one year in office, the internal party evaluation has significantly changed. His principled actions are analyzed to have been effective in securing trust within the party. This leadership is expected to have a positive impact on strengthening internal cohesion and emphasizing future public welfare struggles.

People Power Party spokesperson Kim Hyo-eun strongly criticized Chosun Ilbo's article 'Backstabbing Yeongnam Seniors' as "distorted reporting that differs from the facts." Spokesperson Kim asserted that she never mentioned Yeongnam lawmakers and that the context of her remarks was entirely cut out of the article. Although her 'clear out' remark was intended to seek legitimacy by having party members evaluate the situation, the reporter portrayed it as targeting specific lawmakers. Spokesperson Kim pointed out that articles infused with a reporter's value judgments or intentions are incompatible with journalism and violate the basic principles of reporting.

People Power Party spokesperson Kim Hyo-eun defined a 'senile' politician not by physical age but by 'outmoded behavior.' She pointed out that a politician is not necessarily young just because they are young in age, and even at a young age, if someone enters politics under someone else's influence and only engages in outmoded practices, their legislative activities are also 'senile.' Conversely, she stated that even if a politician is old, if they respond quickly to public sentiment and genuinely work, they can be considered 'fresh.' This means that evaluating politicians should focus on how much they change and innovate for the public, rather than simply their age.