[21st General Election] Kim Jong-in Draws the Line on 'Emergency Committee Chair'... Where Is the Future of the United Future Party?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Following the historic election defeat, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the United Future Party, resigned, making it inevitable for the leadership structure of the main opposition party to shift to an emergency committee system. In this context, Kim Jong-in, the general election committee chairman who has been suggested within the party as a possible candidate for the emergency committee chairman, indicated that he would not take the position, stating, "My duty ends with the election."

On the 16th, Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly main building and said, "I will accept this as a mandate for the opposition party to change. I admit that the United Future Party's efforts to gain the support of the people were insufficient," hinting at future changes. He emphasized the role by saying, "Citizens, no matter how flawed or disliked, the opposition party must exist for the country's future," and added, "The government should also listen to the opposition party's demands to overcome this unprecedented crisis."

Due to Hwang's defeat in Jongno and subsequent resignation, the reorganization of the United Future Party leadership has become unavoidable. Not only Hwang but also the supreme council members who formed the leadership, except for elected member Cho Kyung-tae, were all defeated. Presidential-level candidates Oh Se-hoon and Na Kyung-won also suffered losses. It is expected that Sim Jae-chul, the floor leader who lost in the election, will act as the interim leader for the time being and seek to transition to an emergency committee system.

Among the candidates for party leadership are Cho, who has reached his fifth term, and elected members Chung Jin-seok, Joo Ho-young, and Seo Byung-soo. Hong Joon-pyo and Kim Tae-ho, who ran as independents after rejecting the nomination results and won, are also expected to aim for party leadership after rejoining the party. However, it is uncertain whether the independent elected members will smoothly return to the party. On the same day, Joo appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "I don't think the possibility of immediate rejoining is high." Although he did not run in this general election, Yoo Seung-min, a presidential candidate-level figure, is also considered among the candidates.

Although Kim has drawn a line, there are rumors that he might take the position of emergency committee chairman. This is partly because he previously served as the emergency committee chairman of the Democratic Party and led the 2016 presidential election to victory, and paradoxically, because he is taking responsibility for this election defeat. However, Kim dismissed the 'emergency committee chairman theory,' saying, "Is the emergency committee talk already coming up? I've never heard such talk," and added, "I said I would step back cleanly after the election."

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