United Future Party, 'Four Independents' Status Surfaces... Internal Disagreements Persist

Hong Joon-pyo, Yoon Sang-hyun, Kwon Seong-dong, Kim Tae-ho Publicly Demand 'Immediate Reinstatement'
Joo Ho-young Suggests "There Will Be Time for Discussion" Indicating Opinion Gathering
Strengthened Opposition Struggle vs. Concerns Over Internal Conflict... Differences Persist

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] On the 6th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, declared his full return to the National Assembly, bringing the whereabouts of the 'four independents' to the surface. The issue of their reinstatement, which had been buried under current affairs such as the floor leader election, the launch of the Emergency Committee, and negotiations on the organization of the Assembly after the April 15 general election, began to be publicly mentioned.

The most active advocate for the reinstatement of Hong Joon-pyo, Yoon Sang-hyun, Kwon Seong-dong, and Kim Tae-ho to the United Future Party is Jang Je-won, a party lawmaker. On the 4th, he urged immediate reinstatement through his Facebook, saying, "The time to enter the Assembly and fight is approaching. The issue of reinstating independent lawmakers outside the party must also be quickly resolved," and added, "There is no reason to keep talented people who were with us outside the party when we need to bring in talents from other parties."

Floor leader Joo Ho-young also said in response to reporters' questions after a press conference on the 5th, "The more we unite, the stronger we will be," and "Since there are people officially raising such issues, I think there will be time for discussion within the party." This implied that he intends to gather opinions within the party through future meetings of lawmakers.

Positions still differ regarding the timing and method of reinstatement. Those urging to expedite the reinstatement of all four independents focus on their fighting power. All are senior figures, and considering their strategic and message influence, there is an expectation that gaining four seats will have a greater effect on opposition party struggles than just increasing numbers. Since some are classified as potential presidential candidates, there is also an argument that they should be given opportunities to compete within the party.

On the other hand, concerns about internal conflicts remain. Given the fierce confrontation between lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo and Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in during the general election phase, there are worries that internal strife is inevitable if they are under the same roof. While some in the political circle predict that reinstatement will resolve conflicts, Chairman Kim has not hidden his discomfort, saying, "There is no need to rush (reinstatement)."

Because of this, voices advocating for sequential reinstatement starting with those with fewer disagreements within the party, rather than a blanket reinstatement, are gaining strength. One official said, "At a time when opposition party struggles should be in the spotlight, having only internal conflicts highlighted is the worst situation for us," and added, "If there is no opportunity to dispel concerns, the party's internal opinion to not rush will continue to gain strength."

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