People Power Party Faces Internal Strife Over 'Transition to Emergency Committee'... A Difficult Road Ahead

Kwon Seong-dong Holds Meeting with First, Second, and Third-Term Lawmakers
Kim Yong-tae and Jeong Mi-gyeong Oppose Transition to Emergency Committee

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok, Geum Bo-ryeong, Kwon Hyun-ji] The People Power Party is experiencing internal turmoil over the transition to an emergency response committee system. Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader who declared his resignation as acting party leader, has been making an all-out effort to create public opinion for the 'transition to an emergency response committee' through meetings with party groups, supreme council members' meetings, and general assembly meetings.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 1st, Yang Geum-hee, the floor spokesperson of the People Power Party, said at a meeting with reporters, "There will be a closed supreme council meeting at 10:30 a.m., and at 11 a.m., a meeting with six first-term operating committee members." She added, "At 1:30 p.m., there will be a meeting with second-term members, at 2:30 p.m., a meeting with third-term or higher members, and at 3 p.m., a general assembly is scheduled." This is a session to gather opinions from lawmakers to proceed with the transition to an emergency response committee in accordance with the party constitution and regulations.

Regarding the conditions for the transition to an emergency response committee, various voices within the party are emerging over the criteria of 'all supreme council members resigning, or four members resigning.' Starting with Supreme Council member Bae Hyun-jin on the 29th of last month, Supreme Council members Cho Soo-jin and Yoon Young-seok resigned the day before, and it is also known that Seong Il-jong, the policy committee chairman and ex officio supreme council member, has effectively resigned.

The People Power Party has decided to consider that the supreme council members who expressed their intention to resign still maintain their status as supreme council members unless their resignation letters are submitted. This seems to be due to concerns that if they lose their status as supreme council members, the anti-emergency response committee faction, which opposes the transition and has expressed their intention to remain as supreme council members, might seize the initiative.

Within the party, there are voices saying that the transition to an emergency response committee cannot proceed according to the party constitution and regulations. Supreme Council member Jung Mi-kyung said on KBS Radio that "Even if everything is done to disable the supreme council's functions, it is difficult to move to an emergency response committee unless party leader Lee Jun-seok resigns. That is how our party constitution and regulations are set." She pointed out, "The only person who can appoint the emergency response committee chairman is either the party leader or the acting leader. The acting floor leader Kwon Seong-dong does not have that authority."

Supreme Council member Kim Yong-tae also appeared on the radio and said, "It's not that I have no intention to resign, but I have no political or principled justification to resign, so if there is a justification for resignation, I will step down."

He even demanded that Acting Leader Kwon resign from his floor leader position. Kim emphasized, "Stabilization has not been going well over the past weekend, and it seems that he is struggling with the acting leader role, so I think he should now step down from the floor leader position as well."

Amid escalating internal strife, party leader Lee Jun-seok emphasized 'party membership.' On the same day, Lee posted on Facebook, "When you have many worries, just join the party," attaching a party membership link. The transition to an emergency response committee is interpreted as a response through rallying the support base, as it eliminates the position for Lee to return.

Even if the emergency response committee is launched, there are many challenges to resolve. There is a significant difference of opinion within the party on whether it will be formed as an innovation emergency response committee or a management emergency response committee to stably manage the situation until the next party convention. Regarding the party convention after the emergency response committee, it is also crucial whether the remaining term of Leader Lee, whose party membership rights are suspended, will be entrusted with it, or whether the party constitution will be amended to extend the term to allow exercising candidate nomination rights for the next general election.

Above all, the biggest issue is how to restore national governance momentum. Under the constraint of a minority government and worsening public opinion, the government's and ruling party's ability to carry out national tasks is inevitably further restricted. For this reason, although the first regular session of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is imminent, it has become difficult to exert leadership.

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