[Joo Young-jin's News Briefing]

When quoting this interview, please credit the program name as 'SBS <Joo Young-jin's News Briefing>'. Copyright belongs to SBS.

■ Broadcast: SBS <Joo Young-jin's News Briefing> Mon – Fri (14:00 – 15:20)
■ Host: Anchor Joo Young-jin
■ Guest: Rep. Kwon Young-se, People Power Party
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● Interview with Rep. Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party
"Regarding Nepal's massive floods, full-scale cooperation was requested only from China and India... Not South Korea or Australia"
"Equipment such as drones and helicopters is needed, but there are restrictions on operations"
"Nomination of Kim Seung-won signals clear intent to drop indictments and abolish breach of trust charges"
"Retaining Kim Yong-beom and nominating Hong Ji-sun means leaving economic policies untouched"
"The proportional representation system that enabled Rep. Yong Hye-in is the problem... It must be reformed"
"This cabinet reshuffle is about rallying allies and looking out for personal safety"
"The new land minister must avoid pushing policies like 'housing supply in Yongsan Park'"
"To become a major politician, Jang Dong-hyeok must take responsibility when it is time to do so"
"The attitude of pursuing personal gain over party interests must change"
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▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : On today's "Joo Young-jin's News Briefing," we are joined by Representative Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party, a symbolic senior lawmaker of the party. Welcome.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Hello.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : How have you been doing lately? It seems you have been doing media interviews quite frequently.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Not that frequently, but compared to the time when I wasn't doing them for a while, I am doing them a bit more.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : These days, your standing committee is the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : I moved to the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. Not long ago, I was on the Strategy and Finance Committee.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : You also served as the Minister of Unification. Now as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, there is great concern as nine of our citizens are still out of contact due to the massive flooding in Nepal. How is the committee moving on this matter?

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Today, members of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and received a briefing on the situation. One notable point is that the media reported that China, India, South Korea, and Australia received requests for full-scale rescue cooperation and that we are cooperating accordingly. However, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, only China and India received requests for full-scale cooperation, while South Korea and Australia did not. Of course, there have been item-specific requests for cooperation, so we are helping, but I was wondering why our rescue teams were facing restrictions in conducting operations like deploying helicopters after arriving at the site.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : I heard they were not even allowed to launch helicopters.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : It is understandable. The terrain is very narrow, and if multiple helicopters fly in a disorderly manner in such terrain, more accidents could happen. So restricting flights is understandable to some degree, but it is worrying that our helicopter rescue operations seem to face many constraints. The families of the nine missing people must be eagerly awaiting their safe return. As a result, our rescue teams are currently unable to launch full-scale cooperation activities and appear to be traveling on foot to visit areas where people are suspected to be.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : The situation on the ground is said to be like deep mud, where you sink with every step you take.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : The ground conditions are very poor, and because the area is so vast, it is difficult to cover tens of kilometers on foot. Therefore, equipment like drones and helicopters must be used, but there seem to be operational restrictions on both drones and helicopters right now.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Given that South Korean rescue teams have earned high international praise for their dedicated lifesaving work at earthquake sites in Türkiye and Haiti, one would hope the Nepalese authorities actively work alongside our rescue teams.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : I believe our government needs to step up actively as well, but the Nepalese government's stance is not entirely incomprehensible. When they faced difficulties from major natural disasters in the past, it seems they accepted foreign aid indiscriminately, leading to confusion at the time. That is likely why they are strictly limiting requests this time, asking for and receiving full-scale cooperation only from the two neighboring nations, China and India.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. You mentioned that the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee conducted an emergency inspection of the Nepal situation this morning. Yesterday, President Lee Jae-myung carried out a cabinet reshuffle. This can effectively be seen as the second reshuffle since President Lee took office. How do you evaluate it overall? As someone who has previously served as a minister, yesterday the presidential office stated that the reshuffle was thoroughly merit-based. How do you assess it?

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : I view it very negatively. As the media has pointed out, first is the nomination of Kim Seung-won as Minister of Justice. Kim Seung-won served as the head of the group within the Democratic Party dedicated to dropping indictments for the president, did he not?

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Commonly abbreviated as "Gong-chwi-mo."

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Whatever it is called, not stopping there, he even proposed a bill to abolish the crime of breach of trust as a backup measure. Appointing such a person as Minister of Justice signals an intent to ensure the dropping of indictments or to obtain an acquittal by abolishing the crime of breach of trust—since the primary charge against President Lee is breach of trust—all for the sake of his personal safety after stepping down from the presidency. Therefore, my first impression is that there is no interest in state affairs, only in personal safety. Secondly, regarding the reason for the reshuffle, President Lee's approval ratings recently dropped into the 30% range for the first time since taking office, didn't they?

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : According to Realmeter today.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Several other polls also show it in the 30% range. As everyone agrees, that is tied to real estate, especially tax policy. But the person most responsible for this is actually Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : The Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : That's right. In fact, Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol probably could not do much regarding this tax reform plan. Yet only he was dismissed, while Chief of Staff Kim Yong-beom was kept in place. Furthermore, even if the Ministry of Economy and Finance was involved, the 1st Vice Minister in charge was promoted. This suggests that despite the reshuffle being prompted by policy issues, there is little intention to change current policies. The same goes for the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Minister Kim Yun-duk worked hard, but people describe this as a disciplinary reshuffle due to existing problems. Yet they promoted someone who served as vice minister under him. While that vice minister was not directly in charge of housing...

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : He was in charge of transport at the ministry.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : The nominee previously worked together with President Lee in Gyeonggi Province, so it is difficult to believe he was uninvolved in the Lee administration's housing policies within the Land Ministry. Under these circumstances, nominating Vice Minister Hong...

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Hong Ji-sun.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Nominating him and retaining Chief of Staff Kim Yong-beom means nothing other than leaving all policies untouched, starting from housing policy to economic policy as a whole. In addition, Chief of Staff Kim Yong-beom was at the center of intense controversy over single-stock leveraged ETFs, which remains contentious. Taking no action on these matters and maintaining the status quo is problematic. Furthermore, regarding Rep. Yong Hye-in, rather than her as an individual, I believe the fundamental issue lies in the proportional representation electoral system that brought her into office. That is the real problem. Our politics is currently failing to gain proper recognition and support from the public in many ways, and I believe things could improve if we at least fix the method of electing proportional representatives. What party does Rep. Yong Hye-in belong to now? Is it the Basic Income Party?

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : The Basic Income Party.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : It is a one-person party, isn't it? Then they merged with the Democratic Party under the name Platform Party...

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : The Together Citizens' Party.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : And after getting elected, she left again and is now receiving over 1.1 billion won annually. It is said she appointed her husband as secretary general to manage that 1.1 billion won. All these issues fundamentally stem from the proportional representation election system. The law was flawed from the moment that clause was introduced, yet elections have been held twice under it without any fixes, which is deeply problematic. This must be corrected in the next election. Overall, this reshuffle merely rallies allies together and puts someone in place to guarantee personal safety, while on the policy front, it signals an intention to push forward with existing policies regardless of whether they are flawed. In the end, it was an appointment that completely disregarded the public. I rarely speak so harshly, but regarding this appointment, I cannot help but say it.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : When it comes to satellite proportional parties, both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party must never repeat that in the next general election—the two major parties secretly thinking, "Should we do it one more time?" That should never happen again.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : When the system was first introduced, our party opposed it, arguing that such outcomes would occur. But this outcome is the result of forcing it through.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : It became a situation where both sides said, "If the other party does it, we cannot afford not to."

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Once the system was designed that way, it was impossible to prevent such bizarre realities.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. As a senior opposition lawmaker, you have shared very critical thoughts on the recent cabinet reshuffle. Regarding the recent housing supply issue, Yongsan Park was mentioned, and Yongsan is your constituency. What are your thoughts on this?

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Regarding Yongsan Park, I am not raising this merely to protect my constituency because Yongsan is my district. Yongsan Park goes beyond being Seoul's flagship park; it is a profoundly symbolic park representing all of South Korea. As is well known, starting from the Mongol invasion during the Yuan Dynasty, followed by the Imjin War, the First Sino-Japanese War much later, and the arrival of U.S. forces after Japan's defeat, it is a site with a long, dark history. Rather than letting a few individuals enjoy it through housing, it needs to be transformed into a park that all citizens can enjoy. Realistically, a green axis connecting Mount Namsan to the Han River is desperately needed. While not yet certain, many say the massive flooding disaster in Nepal was caused by the climate crisis. Yongsan Park must play a significant role in that regard. Deciding to target Yongsan simply because housing is scarce and vacant land is there is extremely short-sighted and fails to consider its historical significance. While Minister Kim Yun-duk is stepping down and Hong Ji-sun will likely be confirmed as minister, I believe pushing such initiatives must not happen again. Mayor Oh Se-hoon has proposed the Tancheon Water Recycling Center site as an alternative, which is being actively reviewed, and Yongsan is certainly willing to offer alternatives as well. What I initially suggested was the "Gyeongnidan" area. People only think of Gyeongnidan-gil, but it actually refers to the Defense Financial Management Corps, a military unit in charge of finances. A site of over 10,000 pyeong is located there.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : It is right next to Yongsan, isn't it?

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : It is across the street from Yongsan Park.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : That's right.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : So absorbing that facility into the Ministry of National Defense and returning the site to residents would help address housing issues. I hope they approach the matter with this kind of thinking.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. The main opposition party should also actively provide explanations in those discussions.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Of course. I have met with Minister Kim Yun-duk and Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and once nominee Hong Ji-sun becomes minister, I am more than willing to meet and discuss this matter.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. I must ask about the internal situation of the People Power Party. In recent media interviews, you made strong remarks regarding Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok that could be interpreted as suggesting he should step down. Do you still hold that view?

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : I said it would be best for him to step down. It is not personal criticism against Leader Jang Dong-hyeok. In fact, among rising politicians, Leader Jang is an excellent asset that our party needs to protect. However, for him to truly establish himself as a major politician, he must take responsibility when it is time to do so and deeply reflect on the party's direction—not pursuing a course that benefits him personally, but one that benefits the conservative party as a whole, because the ultimate goal of a political party is to regain power.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : That means winning elections.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : That's right. It means winning elections, and in a presidential system, the presidential election is especially critical. We need to build a party capable of winning, but it feels like that is not happening, which is very regrettable. If he continues to show this kind of posture, considering the issue of responsibility for the last local elections, stepping down is the right thing to do. That is what I said.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : In terms of methodology, how to proceed remains a challenge, since Leader Jang Dong-hyeok says he will not step down.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : That's true. With a set term, it is practically difficult unless he steps down voluntarily. Another possibility would be for the Supreme Council members to resign together to dissolve the leadership, but regrettably, things do not seem to be moving in that direction. Perhaps because there is still time before the next election, there may be less sense of urgency. As many know, a similar situation occurred in 2011 when former Mayor Hong Joon-pyo served as party leader. Back then, with general elections only a few months away, all Supreme Council members resigned, eventually bringing down the Hong Joon-pyo leadership and transitioning to a new emergency response committee. I believe this requires careful thought. As I mentioned in the footage earlier, not only in South Korea but also in the United States, we have seen instances where pursuing personal interests and encroaching upon the party has succeeded politically. However, I believe such politics is not good for our country or our political system. This problem is not unique to our party; it is the same with the Democratic Party. Not just Leader Jang Dong-hyeok, but many individuals are gaining momentum by catering to personal trends and seeking private gain rather than thinking about the party. In this regard, our politics must change, and our voters especially need to think correctly about these matters.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. When the situation within the People Power Party reaches a decisive turning point, we will invite Representative Kwon Young-se again to hear more.

▶ Kwon Young-se / Lawmaker, People Power Party : Feel free to invite me anytime, even before then.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor : Understood. We look forward to seeing you often. Thank you for your time today.

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