"We must answer the post-Yoon era… rebooting the Innovation Party to accelerate reform drive"
Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, declared on September 1 that the party’s foremost mission is to back the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration while positioning itself as a "hammer" to break down the People Power Party.
Attending the party’s Supreme Council meeting for the first time since his release by a special Liberation Day pardon last month, Cho delivered a fiery message emphasizing political renewal and reform.
He argued, “Yoon Suk-yeol has been ousted, but the far-right forces that supported him remain intact and are attempting to regroup. In a democratic republic, such extremist forces and parties must not be allowed to survive.”
Looking ahead, Cho stressed the need to respond to what he called the “post-Yoon era,” insisting that both Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee would ultimately face legal accountability.
On reform issues, Cho stated that prosecutorial reform would be “completed in line with the will of the people.” He also urged the party to go beyond day-to-day politics, evolve into a party that “reads the climate of the era rather than the weather of the day,” and take on the role of dismantling social inequality while reinforcing unity among progressive reformist parties.
Promising to take a hands-on role, Cho announced plans to “reboot” the Innovation Party based on ideas he developed during his time in prison, signaling a push to consolidate the party’s foundation and broaden its appeal. He identified three central reform priorities: livelihood reform, political reform, and human rights reform.
“We will not remain a mere think tank,” Cho said. “Instead, we will transform into a ‘link tank’ that connects discourse and collective intelligence across the democratic and progressive blocs. Returning to the party’s founding spirit, we will move steadily forward—slowly, but without wavering.”
The Innovation Party, which plans to hold a party convention in mid-November, is preparing to shorten the current leadership’s term and pave the way for Cho’s official return to the chairmanship. Spokesperson Yoon Jae-gwan explained that Cho’s planned nationwide visits would focus not only on major cities but also on smaller towns, aiming to “express gratitude to the public and engage more closely at the grassroots level.”