[Seoul, Newsis] Reporter Go Seung-min captured the moment when Cho Kuk, former emergency countermeasure committee chairman of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly’s communication center in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 10th, where he declared his candidacy for party leader and answered reporters’ questions.
Former Chairman Cho announced his candidacy for party leader at a press conference held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 10th. He stated, “I will embark on a political reform journey to end the monopoly politics of the two major parties and usher in an era of democratic majority coalition,” adding, “I will step forward as the leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.”
He emphasized, “The people are now commanding us to change,” and asserted that it is time to innovate with new visions and values, standing at the starting line of a second act. He added, “I will leave the former Cho Kuk in the past and restart with the people as a different, new Cho Kuk.”
His vision includes the establishment of a ‘strong small party’ that is resilient in terms of people’s livelihood and elections through bold innovation, as well as ending the monopoly politics of the two major parties through political reform.
Former Chairman Cho further stated, “We will restore the people’s trust through innovation and find a way out of the party’s crisis. We will open an era of great voyages of innovation,” explaining that “this voyage includes social reforms such as prosecutorial and judicial reforms, as well as human rights reforms including the introduction of the Anti-Discrimination Act.”
He dismissed the idea of a merger with the Democratic Party, stating, “We will build a party as strong as iron so as not to be swayed by premature and impolite merger discussions,” emphasizing, “We will make it a ‘winning strong small party’ that excels in reform, people’s livelihood, and elections.”
Regarding the People Power Party, he took a firm stance again. He declared, “We must judge the People’s Power Party, a force of insurrection and far-right, in the local elections next June,” and, “We will make the metropolitan leaders from the People’s Power Party zero and cut the basic organization leaders in half to uproot the insurrection force.”
He also stressed that “the monopoly of regions by the two parties must be broken for politics to be renewed, regions to thrive, and people’s lives to change,” declaring that “the Cho Kuk Innovation Party will become a ‘political catfish,’ stirring innovation and competitive winds in the meat-sharing political market of the two parties.”
Regarding his own candidacy in the local elections, he mentioned, “I will decide at the very end, after all other local election candidates are determined.”