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Cho Kuk declares party chair candidacy, vows to put 'past version' of himself behind

Published: 10 Nov. 2025, 17:16 Updated: 10 Nov. 2025, 17:25

Cho Kuk, former interim leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks during a press conference held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Nov. 10. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Cho Kuk, former interim leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, officially declared his candidacy for party chair on Monday, proclaiming a new chapter for himself and the group while promising to challenge and “disrupt” the current landscape of Korean politics.

In a press conference held at the National Assembly, Cho said he would “restore public trust through bold reform and steer the party out of crisis,” adding, “I will leave the past version of myself behind and begin anew with the people — as a different Cho, a new Cho.”

Cho stepped down as interim leader on Thursday to run in the party convention, where new leadership will be elected on Nov. 23. “The first chapter of the Rebuilding Korea Party has come to a close,” Cho said. “It’s time to stand at the starting line of the second chapter with a new vision and values. I will transform this party into a small but strong political force that champions reform, livelihoods and victory at the ballot box.”

Cho had recently returned to the party as interim leader after being released from prison in August on special pardon by President Lee Jae Myung for Liberation Day. Cho was convicted in December 2024 on charges of forgery, bribery and obstruction of an official audit into his wife’s falsification of academic documents that were used to help his children gain admission into prestigious universities. Upon his release, he retook the party's reins after its leadership resigned en masse in September amid a sexual misconduct scandal.

Cho said the Rebuilding Korea Party would act as a disruptive force in the current political duopoly. He vowed to build a “strong-as-steel party that does not waver in the face of immature and arrogant calls for a forced merger.” Though he did not specify which group he meant, some members of the Democratic Party have in the past suggested a merger of the parties.

Cho also reaffirmed his party’s policy agenda, saying, “We will end the monopolistic politics of the two major parties by regaining the people’s trust through decisive reforms. We will carry on the mission of completing prosecutorial and judicial reform, and push for the enactment of an antidiscrimination law.”

He specifically called for a decisive defeat of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) in next June’s local elections. “We must judge the reactionary and far-right forces, Cho said. “I will aim to reduce the number of PPP-affiliated metropolitan mayors and governors to zero and cut the number of their basic-level local government heads in half.”

Cho Kuk, former interim leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks during a press conference held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Nov. 10. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

“Just as we established a parliamentary foothold in the last general election, we will secure a base in local politics through the upcoming elections,” he said.

“The success of the Rebuilding Korea Party is the key to victories in local elections, general elections and the next presidential race,” Cho added. “It is time to usher in a new era of reform.”

Cho Kuk, former interim leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, walks up to the podium during a press conference held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Nov. 10. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Cho said that if elected, he would immediately form a local election task force and personally lead the candidate recruitment process as chair of the talent recruitment committee.

Addressing the party’s stagnant approval ratings, he said, “We still have a long way to go,” but added, “I won’t hesitate or panic. We must advance one step at a time — that is my responsibility.”

On the same day, the party unveiled its third wave of reform proposals, which include resetting the threshold for negotiating blocs in the National Assembly, introducing a medium-sized constituency system for local elections and adopting runoff elections for metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial races.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]