Cho Kuk, the leader of the new Rebuilding Korea Party, declared a “victory of the people” Wednesday after exit polls for the parliamentary elections showed that his party was projected to win as many as 15 proportional seats.
Cho’s party, only formed a month before the elections, has drawn attention as Cho, the scandal-tainted former justice minister, vowed to stake his all on bringing an early end to the Yoon Suk Yeol government.
“The people have won,” Cho said after watching the exit polls. “The people have made their intent clear that it is a verdict handed down to the Yoon Suk Yeol government.”
Cho said the tentative polls also reflect that the people can “no longer put up with the regression” of the government, urging Yoon to humbly accept the election outcome.
Cho called on the president to “apologize for the numerous misdeeds and corruption,” and to come up with measures to rectify the situation.
Cho vowed to table a special investigation bill against ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon as soon as
the new parliament is formed.
“The change in politics that the Rebuilding Korea Party will bring on is just beginning,” Cho said.
Cho, once a rising star in politics under the preceding Moon Jae-in government, fell from grace after facing a string of corruption scandals involving his family.
Cho has appealed to voters who dislike the Yoon government or the conservatives, vowing to make the president pay for his “incompetence” and make him a “lame” or “dead” duck.
Cho’s family underwent prosecution investigation and faced trials under the Yoon government, leading to the conviction of his wife for forgery related to their daughter’s college admissions.
Source: Yonhap News Agency