I sincerely welcome the Green Party members of the United States who visited the Justice Party. We would like to thank former Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins, former Mayor Mike Feinstein, International Commission Co-Chair Austin Bashore, and Youth Green Party President Matthew Skolar. We hope that today’s meeting between the Justice Party and the Green Party of the United States will serve as a venue for green solidarity that will protect the earth and open the coexistence of life.
The World Green Party Congress will soon be held in Incheon. It is very meaningful that the General Assembly is held in Korea at a time when the earth and life are being threatened by self-made crises such as the climate crisis, nuclear power generation, and exploitation of development.
Shamefully, South Korea is notorious for being a climate evil country with the second highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions from coal power among the G20 countries. Even now, from developing countries to advanced countries, the government’s greenhouse gas reduction policies are still the same as those of underdeveloped countries.
Moreover, it is nothing more than an inaction when it comes to industrial conversion, on which the survival of working citizens depends. This political environment is a big challenge for the Justice Party and at the same time a responsibility as a parliamentary party.
I heard that there will be discussions in about 50 sessions at this general assembly, and a Korean declaration will be made at the closing ceremony based on these discussions. We hope that this Korea Declaration will serve as a catalyst for the government’s climate change and move toward a climate-just nation. The Justice Party also promises to make efforts to ensure that this declaration has political power in Korean politics.
There is a saying that “a political party is a world view”. The Justice Party adopted the climate platform as the first platform of its election platform in last year’s presidential election, which is consistent with the six values of ecological wisdom, social justice, non-violence and diversity cultivated by green parties around the world. In addition, ecological sustainability, gender equality, and political reform through the strengthening of proportional representation pursued by the Green Party of the United States are the issues that the Justice Party is currently focusing on. Having a comrade with the same worldview is a great will to leave the physical distance. Please share the political wisdom of the US Green Party, which has maintained its position as the third party in a strong two-party system.
I look forward to the blossoming of exchanges and solidarity between the two parties on the occasion of today’s meeting.