By Kang Jae-eun
SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday called for more dialogue and cooperation between the main rival parties amid a prolonged parliamentary deadlock on pending political issues.
In a speech delivered at the National Assembly, Rep. Yun Jae-ok made such a suggestion while claiming that the previous government's reported rigging of housing price statistics and a fake interview that had purportedly targeted President Yoon Suk Yeol while he was a candidate have put the country's democracy in trouble.
"The manipulation of real estate statistics, revealed in an audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection, is a serious challenge to free democracy," he said.
Yun then criticized the alleged fake interview by independent online media outlet Newstapa in 2021 that was purportedly engineered to slander then presidential candidate Yoon, describing it as criminal behavior.
The floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, Rep. Yun Jae-ok, delivers an address at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
Regarding Fukushima, Yun said the National Assembly should break away from engaging in propaganda or distorting facts on the water release and work together to monitor if Japan fulfills its promises while protecting the livelihoods of the fishing industry population.
Yun also said his party will make efforts with the government on improving the human rights of North Koreans.
"Approximately 2,600 North Korean refugees are detained in China and are at risk of being returned to the North once the borders open," he said.
He also highlighted eight areas to cooperate with the main opposition party, including support for businesses, the socially vulnerable and solving of pending social problems.
In particular, he proposed establishing a parliamentary committee dedicated to policies on tackling South Korea's population drop and a special task force to revamp parliamentary discipline measures for lawmakers.
fairydust@yna.co.kr
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