Kwon Seong-dong "Not Allowed by Party Rules" Policy... Ruling Party Lawmakers Lean Toward 'Early Party Convention'

Lee Jun-seok Party Membership Suspension for 6 Months
Final Conclusion: Accident, Not Vacancy
Kwon Seong-dong Acting Party Leader
"Cannot Hold Party Convention According to Party Rules"
Leadership and Lawmakers Clash Inevitable
Lee Jun-seok in 'Stealth Mode'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Boryeong Geum] On the 11th, the People Power Party (PPP) held a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly and reached a final conclusion that the six-month suspension of party membership for Representative Lee Jun-seok is considered a 'vacancy' (gwaelwi) rather than an 'accident' (sago). This means that Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong has been decided to act as the party leader. However, voices urging Lee's 'voluntary resignation' emerged during the series of caucus meetings held by different factions from the morning, raising the possibility of a clash between the leadership and lawmakers over an early party convention. A recent poll also showed that the PPP's approval rating has been overtaken by the Democratic Party of Korea amid ongoing internal discord since last week.

After the Supreme Council meeting, Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong told reporters, "According to the party's constitution and regulations, the suspension of party membership decided by the Ethics Committee is confirmed as a disciplinary action," adding, "A report was submitted stating that the suspension of party membership should be regarded as an accident rather than a vacancy of the party leader position, and all Supreme Council members agreed that this interpretation is correct. Therefore, there is no way to hold a party convention under the party's constitution and regulations."

Floor Leader Kwon's remarks suggest that maintaining the current system is considered better during the early stage of President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration than holding an early party convention. This is because the president's approval rating continues to decline, and with the looming economic crisis, an early convention could disrupt the party atmosphere.

Currently, opinions within the party are divided between waiting to see how the six-month vacancy of Representative Lee's position unfolds and urging him to voluntarily resign. From Floor Leader Kwon's perspective, it is advantageous to complete his term and hold the party convention later for the next party leadership competition. Kwon was elected in April this year under Lee's leadership.

However, if Lee resigns as some factions within the party demand, the situation could become complicated. The possibility of activating an emergency response committee along with an early convention may arise. If an early convention is held, debates are expected over whether the remaining term or a full two-year term will be at stake.

Among incumbent lawmakers, there is a growing opinion to amend the party's constitution and regulations to hold an early convention since the next party leader would have the authority over the 2024 parliamentary candidate nominations. They argue that the party needs to revitalize its atmosphere through the convention. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter from the 4th to the 8th among 2,525 people aged 18 and over nationwide, the PPP's approval rating dropped by 2.6 percentage points to 40.9%, while the Democratic Party's rose by 1.5 percentage points to 41.8%, reversing the lead within the margin of error. (Sampling error ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level; for details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website)

Representative Lee remained silent and entered a low-profile mode again on this day following the previous day. Although it was expected that he would quickly proceed with legal procedures such as injunction requests, retrials, or lawsuits to nullify the disciplinary action, he appears to be watching public opinion for now. On the same day, PPP lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung appeared on a radio show and said, "If he accepts the Ethics Committee's decision, it would mean acknowledging various facts," suggesting that legal action is inevitable. On the other hand, PPP Supreme Council member Jung Mi-kyung said, "Since we all bear responsibility, we need to help quickly overcome and resolve this confusion. I hope he does not pursue legal injunctions or similar actions. (When I said this, Lee) just listened quietly," she conveyed.

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