Woo Sang-ho skips opening remarks at emergency committee meeting... Party convention 'rule dispute' intensifies

Pass on the June 6 Emergency Committee Opening Remarks
Taking a Breather Ahead of the Party Affairs Committee Meeting

Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is touching his face after finishing his speech at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Chae-eun Koo and Joon-yi Park] Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, skipped his public remarks at the Emergency Response Committee meeting he presided over at the National Assembly on the 6th. This is interpreted as being conscious of the discord erupting within the party after the Emergency Response Committee overturned part of the resolution passed by the Party Convention Preparation Committee on the 4th.

On the 5th, Ahn Kyu-baek, the former head of the Preparation Committee, abruptly tendered his resignation, and pro-Lee Jae-myung faction lawmakers collectively protested, demanding that the party convention rules be decided by a vote of all party members. However, Woo Sang-ho, chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, countered, saying, "There are aspects where the Preparation Committee made decisions without reflecting the Emergency Response Committee’s opinions." The Party Affairs Committee is expected to finalize the rules by compromising between the Preparation Committee and the Emergency Response Committee proposals by the morning of the same day, making it crucial whether the factional conflict over the rules can be resolved.

Right after the meeting began, when it was his turn to speak, Chairman Woo said, "I will not make opening remarks today. I will pass the speaking order to the next person."

Earlier, the Democratic Party’s Convention Preparation Committee proposed changing the preliminary primary voting ratio from the current '100% Central Committee' to '70% Central Committee and 30% public opinion poll.' However, the Emergency Response Committee led by Chairman Woo did not accept this, and furthermore, by deciding to newly introduce the 'regional vote system for Supreme Council members,' internal opposition erupted, intensifying conflicts within the party.

In response, Chairman Woo said in a CBS radio interview that morning, "The Emergency Response Committee made revisions, and the content revised by the Emergency Response Committee can also be modified at today’s Party Affairs Committee meeting. When there are differences of opinion, the Party Affairs Committee can mediate or broadly accept one side’s opinion."

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