Cho Kuk vows bold reform, public trust restoration in party leadership bid

Former Rebuilding Korea Party interim leader Cho Kuk on November 10 declared his candidacy for party leader, pledging to “boldly reform the party and regain the public’s trust.” As for whether he will run in next June’s local elections, he said, “I will make that decision last, after all our party’s other candidates have been decided.”

At a press conference at the National Assembly that day, Cho said, “I will leave behind the Cho Kuk of the past and start anew with the people as a different, new Cho Kuk.”

He vowed to turn the Rebuilding Korea Party into a “small but strong party that wins, one that’s committed to reform, people’s livelihoods, and elections.” He promised to end the two-party monopoly, complete prosecutorial and judicial reforms, and enact an anti-discrimination law.

On the question of whether he would personally run in local elections, Cho said, “Whether it’s a metropolitan mayoral race or a by-election for the National Assembly, I’ll make the decision last, after all our candidates have been finalized.” He added with a laugh, “In Seoul, I hear people are polling my name for mayor; in Busan, they’re running polls for Busan mayor or the head of Buk-gu seat. My friends in Gwangju tell me I should run there. I wish I were Son Goku.” He added, “Busan is my hometown, and I have a special interest in the region, but this is not the time to talk about my personal political plans.”

Cho, who was released in August on a Liberation Day special pardon, had returned to politics as the party’s interim leader after the leadership resigned en masse over a sexual misconduct scandal. He stepped down from that post on November 6 to run in the party convention scheduled for the 23rd, where a new leadership will be elected.

Although Cho is widely expected to win the leadership race, major challenges lie ahead. His top priority will be raising the party’s stagnant approval ratings, which remain in the low single digits. Recent polls show the Rebuilding Korea Party, with 12 parliamentary seats, polling at similar or even lower levels than the Reform Party, which holds just three seats.

If the party fails to achieve meaningful results in next year’s local elections, its very survival could be at risk. Cho said that upon taking office as party leader, he will immediately launch a Local Election Planning Committee and personally chair the Candidate Recruitment Committee to attract new talent. “Our goal is to field at least one candidate in every multi-member local constituency across the country, from the Honam region to the Yeongnam region,” he said. “Each of them will serve as a political catalyst in their region.”

Cho also addressed speculation about a possible merger with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), saying, “We will build a steel-strong party that will not be swayed by premature and disrespectful merger talk.” He added, “The Rebuilding Korea Party has its own independent agenda, policies, and vision. There has been no formal proposal whatsoever from the ruling party.”

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.