The Fate of the 'Kim Jong-in Emergency Committee'... United Party to Discuss at Elected Members Workshop

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The fate of the 'Kim Jong-in Emergency Response Committee (ERC)', which has been dragging on for over a month, will be decided sometime this week. Joo Ho-young, the new floor leader of the United Future Party, is known to support the ERC, but voices opposing the ERC or questioning its effectiveness are also emerging within the party.

The United Future Party will hold a workshop for the 21st National Assembly elected members at the National Assembly over two days, from the 21st to the 22nd. This workshop, conducted without overnight accommodation, will discuss the causes of the crushing defeat in the general election, solutions, and leadership system issues.

In particular, regarding the transition of the leadership system, an in-depth discussion is expected on the transition to an ERC chaired by former General Election Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in. Immediately after the general election defeat, the transition to the 'Kim Jong-in ERC' was pushed under the leadership of former floor leader Shim Jae-cheol, but the process was effectively 'all stopped' after the party constitution amendment failed at the Standing National Committee.

It is known that former Chairman Kim proposed a term of nearly one year as a condition for accepting the position of ERC chairman. However, since the existing party constitution sets the party convention at the end of August, without amending this, the ERC chairman's term would be only four months.

Accordingly, whether to transition to the 'Kim Jong-in ERC' and how to amend the party constitution if the transition occurs will be discussed at the workshop.

Within the United Future Party, a compromise plan called the 'year-end term plan'?between the four months stipulated in the existing party constitution and the one-year term requested by former Chairman Kim?is newly emerging. On the 13th, United Future Party elected member Cho Hae-jin appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and mentioned the year-end term plan, saying, "Rather than a four-month ERC, there seems to be more opinion to establish an ERC with an extended period and entrust it to Chairman Kim Jong-in."

However, at the same time, the self-strengthening theory remains strong among senior members, and due to repeated controversies during the transition process, opinions on the 'Kim Jong-in ERC' are reportedly divided even among first-term and second-term members.

Therefore, attention is focused on whether Floor Leader Joo can quell these factional disputes within the party and unite opinions at this workshop.

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