Park Chan-dae, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a farewell press conference at the National Assembly on the 12th, a day before the end of his term, and said, "We must fulfill national tasks such as ending the insurrection, restoring people's livelihoods, promoting economic growth, and achieving national unity together with the great people who have once again protected the Republic of Korea."
Floor Leader Park emphasized, "The Democratic Party has now become a responsible ruling party with President Lee Jae-myung" and added, "The most memorable event over the past year is the fact that we upheld the orders of the people and protected the Republic of Korea, achieving a change of government."
He evaluated former President Yoon Suk-yeol, saying, "He completely ignored the serious order from the people to stop the rampage of arrogance and self-righteousness and betrayed the people, so his impeachment was inevitable."
In particular, Floor Leader Park stated, "The biggest threat to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been the special investigation continuously pushed by the Democratic Party," and argued, "Isn’t the biggest reason for the 12/3 insurrection due to the Kim Keon-hee special investigation? The declaration of martial law right after the arrest of Myung-tae-gyun was also due to fear that their shortcomings would be exposed."
He continued, "President Lee Jae-myung has achieved results from the struggle that has continued since last year by declaring three major special investigations: the insurrection special investigation, the Kim Keon-hee special investigation, and the Marine Corps special investigation."
Floor Leader Park assessed his one-year term as "a great national journey together with the people, or rather, a glorious journey," noting, "If I were to give it a grade, I think it would be around A-." He stated, "Thanks to the cooperation of the 170 Democratic Party lawmakers and the dedication of the floor leadership team, I was able to finish my term without any major issues."
Regarding his relationship with President Lee Jae-myung, Floor Leader Park recalled, "As the party leader and floor leader, we formed a two-top leadership, and I received much respect from him," and added, "The most rewarding moment was when I made then-Leader Lee Jae-myung, who had no reason to laugh, smile despite saying, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do that’ with my dad jokes."
Floor Leader Park said regarding his challenge for party leadership, "There are many opinions from those around me, so I am honestly reflecting on it," and noted, "I am deeply contemplating the tasks that need to be addressed as a member of the new government, the Democratic Party, and the National Assembly."
After being elected as floor leader with a solo candidacy in May last year, he has been evaluated for smoothly leading the party during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's declaration of martial law and impeachment phase. Also, as President Lee Jae-myung stepped down to run for the presidency, he also served as acting leader, contributing to the victory in the presidential election. The Democratic Party is set to elect a new floor leader on the 13th.
Floor Leader Park emphasized, "The Democratic Party must become a competent ruling party that builds a country where the sovereign is the master and where all citizens live well together," and added, "I will definitely fulfill the national tasks of ending the insurrection, restoring people's livelihoods, promoting economic growth, and achieving national unity."