The Prelude to a 'Power Struggle' Over Nomination Rights for the General Election [Lee Jun-seok Aftershock]

Interim Leadership System, Full Leadership, or Emergency Committee?
Signs of Factional Split Among Pro-Yoon Over Next Party Leadership Roadmap

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The curtain is rising on the next power struggle within the People Power Party following the disciplinary action against party leader Lee Jun-seok.

There are three options: whether to proceed with the ‘Kwon Seong-dong acting leadership system,’ the ‘emergency committee’ system, or to hold an early party convention. Even within the pro-Yoon faction, signs of division are emerging over these choices. This issue ultimately leads to the question of who will hold the nomination rights for the 2024 general election.

For now, the People Power Party’s process of stabilizing its leadership system after Lee’s disciplinary action must serve as an opportunity to halt the declining approval ratings of President Yoon and the party, and to regain momentum in national governance.

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, attended the party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. After finishing his remarks, he listened to a fellow lawmaker's speech with a serious expression. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader known as the eldest figure of the pro-Yoon group, immediately declared the ‘Kwon Seong-dong acting leadership system’ after Lee’s disciplinary action. By managing the party’s emergency confusion, he made it clear that he is effectively the ‘one top’ leader.

In particular, Floor Leader Kwon defines Lee’s suspension from duty not as a ‘vacancy’ but as an ‘accident,’ thereby blocking any possibility of holding a party convention. He is applying the party’s constitution and regulations, which stipulate that a party convention is to be held only in the event of a vacancy in the party leadership.

Kwon, a four-term lawmaker, has earned President Yoon Seok-yeol’s absolute trust since the last presidential election. Riding this momentum, he won the floor leader election by a large margin in April and has emerged as a leading candidate for the next party leadership.

On the other hand, some pro-Yoon group lawmakers other than Floor Leader Kwon have a different stance. They lean toward holding an early party convention to elect a party leader who will serve the remainder of Lee’s term. They argue that before the regular party convention scheduled after Lee’s term ends in June next year, a so-called ‘stepping-stone party convention’ is needed to successfully manage the crisis with a capable party leader.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Within the pro-Yoon group, there is also a voice that, given the ruling party’s consecutive victories in the presidential and local elections within just one year, there is no justification for forming an emergency committee, and that an unstable acting leadership system cannot be maintained for six months if the Yoon administration’s governance is to be properly supported.

Meanwhile, as meetings of lawmakers by faction and general assemblies are scheduled one after another on the 11th, it is expected that a wide range of opinions on the leadership system will begin to emerge, and the division within the pro-Yoon group over the specific roadmap for the ‘post-Lee Jun-seok’ system will become more apparent.

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