Heo Hyang-jin, Chairman of the Jeju Provincial Party of the People Power Party, Faces Backlash Over Sudden Resignation

Heo Hyang-jin, former Jeju Provincial Party Chairman of the People Power Party, appears as the election support chairman for Song Jae-ho, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, and is giving a greeting. (YouTube SongTV capture)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] Former Jeju National University President Heo Hyang-jin, who became controversial last September due to his parachute appointment as the chairman of the Jeju Provincial Party Committee of the People Power Party, abruptly resigned from the position on the 28th, just six months after his appointment, sparking a wave of criticism from party members and the local community.

Heo, who was appointed as the acting chairman of the People Power Party’s Jeju Provincial Party Committee last September, classified as an emergency party, faced controversy from the start due to his past role as the chairman of the support committee for Song Jae-ho, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party representing Jeju City Gap.

The sudden resignation of former Chairman Heo is reportedly due to the People Power Party’s central party guideline that candidates running for Jeju governor in the local elections scheduled for June must resign from the party chairman position by April 1.

Following Heo’s resignation, who had led the presidential election campaign, Kim Young-jin, chairman of the Jeju City Gap Party Committee, was immediately appointed as the acting chairman of the Jeju Provincial Party Committee, but the aftermath is proving to be challenging.

According to the People Power Party regulations, the standing committee chairpersons and organizations appointed by the acting chairman are automatically dismissed upon resignation, so the newly appointed chairman must reorganize the Jeju Provincial Party Committee.

With just about 60 days left before the local elections, the need to reorganize the party committee has already caused ongoing discord within the party.

Among the standing committee chairpersons appointed by Heo before the presidential election, some have reportedly expressed confusion over his sudden resignation, saying they would “leave the party” or “give up on politics.”

A former party committee chairman, Mr. A, said, “Only one Jeju provincial assembly member was elected in the 2018 local elections,” and added, “For the People Power Party to win this local election, the party organization must maintain consistency, but resigning as the provincial party chairman just 60 days before the election seems like self-serving politics aimed at running for governor,” strongly criticizing Heo.

Additionally, senior party member Mr. B expressed concern over the confusion caused by the change in the People Power Party’s Jeju Provincial Party chairman, saying, “The governor election is like an uneven playing field,” and “We need to maximize the number of provincial assembly members elected to lay the groundwork for the next general election, but if the focus is on self-politics, this local election will be no different.”

Meanwhile, as of now, prospective candidates for the People Power Party’s Jeju governor nomination include Moon Sung-yu, former president of the Korea Asset Management Corporation, accountant Kim Yong-chul, and Jeong Eun-seok, former chairman of the KB labor union. Former Jeju Provincial Party Chairman Jang Sung-chul has shown strong intentions to run for governor by introducing the new government’s policy direction through his SNS.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won captain@asiae.co.kr

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