The leader of the People Power Party, Jang Dong-hyeok, is set to visit the White House on the 15th (local time) to meet with officials from the Trump administration, according to an announcement made by the People Power Party on the 13th. Representative Jang traveled to Washington, D.C., the United States, on the 11th for a five-night, seven-day trip, following an invitation from the International Republican Institute (IRI), which is headed by members of the U.S. Republican Party.
Kim Dae-sik, who leads the special reporting team for the People Power Party leader, spoke with journalists at the National Assembly in the morning, stating, “Representative Jang is set to meet with key government officials at the White House on the 15th afternoon.” When asked whether Representative Jang would meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kim replied, “I can’t comment on that right now and will address it later. They have requested that this information remain confidential.” As criticism arose both within and outside the party regarding the timing of Representative Jang’s trip to the U.S., which comes less than two months before the local elections, the People Power Party organized a separate press briefing to provide details about the visit.
Concerning the previous plan for Representative Jang’s trip to the U.S., Kim mentioned, “There was a suggestion from U.S. political circles that ‘it would be preferable to meet the party leader individually for a private discussion,’ so we left two days earlier.” Initially, Representative Jang was set to leave on the 14th and remain in the U.S. for two nights and four days. However, after the schedule was disclosed, additional meeting requests came from various sectors, resulting in the decision to move the departure to the 11th. Representative Jang is scheduled to follow a confidential itinerary, which includes a visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the 14th and meetings with members of both the U.S. Republican and Democratic parties on the 15th.
For this secret trip to the United States, Kim Min-su, a member of the supreme council, left earlier along with Representative Jang. Kim, along with Representatives Cho Jung-hun and Kim Jang-kyum, will depart as a subsequent group on the 14th to join the journey. The planned return date is the 17th.
Regarding criticisms from within and outside the party about the timing of Representative Jang’s visit to the U.S., Kim said, “Jun-jun sin-sin bu-bu ja-ja (君君臣臣父父子子), meaning rulers, subjects, fathers, and sons each performing their roles,” adding, “The party leader has their duties, the floor leader has theirs, and the provincial party chairpersons and lawmakers have their responsibilities. The local elections are proceeding smoothly according to the schedule.”
Representative Kim Jang-kyum, who was in attendance, remarked, “Given an economic crisis stemming from the Middle East, a time of swift developments on the Korean Peninsula, and a scenario where President Lee Jae Myung’s informal social media comments are intensifying diplomatic tensions, it would be in the country’s best interest for the leader of the opposition, from a conservative party, to properly engage with the U.S., which is governed by a conservative administration.”
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