‘Samyun Choga’ Son Hak-kyu Faction Also Faces Resignation Pressure... Lone Supreme Council Meeting

Pro-Party Faction Demands Honorable Resignation of Son
Joo Seung-yong, Kim Kwan-young, Chae Yi-bae 'Absent from Supreme Council'
Ahn Cheol-soo Faction Calls for Transition to Ahn Regime

Son Hak-kyu, leader of the Bareunmirae Party, attends the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd, keeping his lips tightly sealed. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Son Hak-gyu, leader of the Bareunmirae Party, has been cornered amid the political comeback of former Bareunmirae Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo. Following pressure from Ahn Cheol-soo faction lawmakers within the party, even the party leadership faction lawmakers have begun demanding Son's resignation. The leadership faction plans to request Son's honorable withdrawal next week.

One lawmaker from the leadership faction said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 3rd, “Nine lawmakers from the leadership faction will gather opinions next week so that Leader Son can decide on his honorable retirement,” adding, “After that, we plan to meet Leader Son unofficially to coordinate positions and find a win-win solution.”

The leadership faction lawmakers are increasing pressure on Leader Son by, among other things, not attending the Supreme Council meetings. On the morning of the same day, Supreme Council members Joo Seung-yong and Kim Kwan-young, along with Policy Committee Chair Chae Yi-bae, all skipped the meeting. Secretary-General Lim Jae-hoon attended the meeting but left immediately due to constituency schedule reasons. At the first New Year's toast ceremony on the 1st, only Leader Son and Secretary-General Lim attended the event.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Leader Son expressed displeasure at demands for his resignation and the formation of an Emergency Response Committee (ERC). Meeting with reporters at the Yeouido party headquarters the previous afternoon, Son said, “Why do people keep saying I will step down as leader? I have never said that myself,” and dismissed the rumors, saying, “I don't know why such stories are being made up.”

Regarding the ERC, Leader Son stated, “Politics should not be driven by personal interests.” Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, Ahn Cheol-soo faction lawmakers Kim Sam-hwa, Kim Soo-min, Shin Yong-hyun, Lee Dong-seop, and Lee Tae-gyu held a press conference at the National Assembly Press Center, urging the dissolution of the party's Supreme Council and the formation of an ERC to facilitate former lawmaker Ahn's political comeback. The leadership faction lawmakers are also supporting these demands from the Ahn Cheol-soo faction.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Both the leadership faction and the Ahn Cheol-soo faction have expectations regarding the role of former lawmaker Ahn. However, they show differing views on the party's system after Leader Son's resignation. The Ahn Cheol-soo faction is calling for an immediate transition to the “Ahn Cheol-soo system,” while the leadership faction has been reserved about specific matters.

A lawmaker from the Ahn Cheol-soo faction said, “If former lawmaker Ahn comes, naturally the party should transition to the Ahn Cheol-soo system,” adding, “I believe former lawmaker Ahn will support the third zone. Starting with the Bareunmirae Party, all centrist parties excluding the extremes should be unified.”

A lawmaker from the Honam faction within the leadership faction said, “We need to hear former lawmaker Ahn's thoughts. There will be procedures to consult with the party,” and added, “(Giving full authority to former lawmaker Ahn) requires discussion. It is not appropriate to make premature judgments.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.